


Sleeping Late & Lying Awake [T]

by mewsomniac



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Awkward Romance, Confessions, Eventual Romance, Fluff, High School, Implied Sexual Content, Lime, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Romance, Roxas-centric (Kingdom Hearts), Shounen-ai, SoRoku Week, Teen Romance, Twilight Town (Kingdom Hearts), Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22833064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewsomniac/pseuds/mewsomniac
Summary: Things hadn't been the same since the last time Roxas saw Sora.The fantasies started out innocently at first: romantic little daydreams with no real consequence. In the world of sleep, though, they were nothing but steamy. As Roxas' life carries on in the background, he struggles with fighting his true feelings. It's just a stupid crush... right?[Written as a belated Soroku Week 2020 entry and late Valentine's Day piece! T-RATED VERSION]
Relationships: Roxas & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Pining

**Disclaimer:** All characters in this fanfiction are  18 years of age or older. 

**For readers who are 18+ ONLY:**

**To read the uncensored, explicit, extra-sexy version of this chapter, please visit my author profile for links.**

* * *

**Sleeping Late & Lying Awake**

* * *

The force of the kiss shoved Roxas into the balcony door frame as Sora’s lips pressed hot and heavy into his. It still wasn’t deep enough. Roxas pulled the other man closer, his hands clamoring for purchase on shoulders, hair, arms… wherever he could grasp.

Sora pulled away, and the glittering landscape of summer filled Roxas’ vision as he opened his eyes. The streetlights were shining from the balcony, the occasional pop of fireworks rattled the sky, and Sora’s eyes were shimmering in the darkness.

“I want you, Roxas.” He whispered.

Suddenly, Roxas was falling back. His body hit his mattress, with Sora’s form coming to rest atop him.

The brunet’s lips were warmer than sunshine, sweeter than ice cream… a million different nothings passed through Roxas’ mind—

_Never stop, never leave, never want anyone else but me._

But all he could do was breathe and gasp against Sora’s neck as the other man melted into everything he ever was or ever would be.

Those shimmering eyes met his again, and he opened his mouth to say the one thing that mattered above everything else: the three words that clung to him.

But then, his alarm went off.

It didn’t seem to faze Sora, but Roxas had practically jumped out of his skin.

Why was his alarm going off at night, of all times?

His eyes snapped open, blinking into the sunshine that replaced the darkness of his apartment. Sora had vanished, same as always. It had been another dream, drifting neatly back into his subconscious like snow into spring.

Roxas’ body felt flushed and his heart was thumping wildly, just like most mornings. It had been the same way since the last time he saw Sora in person.

His fingers batted around for the alarm clock behind him, tapping it off. He reached for his phone and, as usual, a notification on GummiChat was waiting for him. He opened it, and the smiling face of Sora filled his phone screen. The other man’s squinting eyes sparkled, a full two rows of teeth visible. The caption read: _Sun’s out here! You up?_

Roxas smiled and, acting like he didn’t just have a steamy dream about the other Keyblade wielder, picked a filter. He replied with a casual picture of his face poking out from under the covers. A cascade of augmented sparkles circled his head as his own caption read, _Now I am, unfortunately._

And it really was unfortunate. Without fail, he always woke up before things got _really_ good in his dream… leaving him feeling desolate and unsatisfied.

He wrenched himself free of his bed and added a mental tally to the amount of mornings he had to start the day with a cold shower.

He managed to suppress the prickling sensation of anxiety all the way to school, and even had it pretty under control when he sat down for homeroom. He didn’t even worry too much when Pence leaned over to him.

“Six more days and we get to retire these stupid ties _for good._ ”

He rolled his eyes at the shorter boy. After all this time, Roxas still had no idea what Pence’s gripe with their school uniforms was. The yellow-plaid ties, pants, and skirts always looked stylish to Roxas, anyway. Even Hayner liked them, thinking they made them look more grown-up. Pence, however, always spent the first and last few weeks of the school year ragging on them.

“We’re 4th Years!” Pence said during the beginning of fall semester, “We shouldn’t have to still wear uniforms!”

Feeling a small inkling of inspiration, Roxas took out his phone and opened up GummiChat. He lifted his tie and snapped a quick photo. He captioned it _Six more days and we ditch the ties for good!_ and sent it off to Sora.

That was about when the previously-contained anxiety went scrabbling up his back. Only _six more days_. And then what?

He still didn’t have an answer to that. Time had blinked by since they saved the world. He went from swinging magical blades on a battlefield to wearing a uniform at a normal school… and now they were about retire the uniform. Who has he without it? Without any of it, magic **_or_** schoolbooks?

His phone buzzed and he opened GummiChat. Sora’s hand was draped melodramatically over his grimacing face. _But the tie is so stylish!_

Roxas elbowed Pence and showed him Sora’s response. The shorter boy scoffed.

“Let’s send a pic back,” Roxas said as he draped an arm over Pence’s shoulders. They took a photo with their tongues stuck out. _Give us tie-liberation or give us death!_ Roxas decided to save that one to his camera roll, too.

“Don’t you think it’s crazy,” Pence asked, “That he of all people didn’t want to have a normal life?”

After their long quest to return Sora to their realm, everyone chose to go back to simple lives that had some semblance of normalcy. Everyone except for Sora. 

While Roxas and his friends finished out high school in Twilight Town, Sora was zipping across the galaxy’s open doorways. On the surface, some may have considered this the universe’s longest vacation… but Sora was out there single-handedly protecting, rebuilding, and sometimes discovering whole new worlds. Presumably so his friends could go about their own lives with no worries over the state of the universe.

“Honestly?” Roxas said, “I’m still not that surprised.”

Sora always knew exactly what he wanted, and never stopped in his pursuit of it. Roxas, meanwhile, still had no idea what he really wanted, or even what was worth pursuing. He hoped that by finishing high school, the answer would become clear to him… but the closer they crept to graduation, the further he got from that answer.

Maybe Roxas could find his new normal eventually, but Sora for sure wasn’t cut out for anything “normal.”

His phone buzzed. Sora sent him a cross eyed picture with a tongue sticking out. _Ngl, would fight my way through the underworld for your soul._

The picture was goofier than Goofy, but the caption made Roxas’ heart warm. He took a screenshot.

And then immediately realized what he’d done.

Panicking, he responded to Sora through text chat.

_[I’m keeping this for my legal records]_

His heart was thumping like a jackhammer as he waited for Sora to respond. He couldn’t stop chastising himself for his slip-up. He combed his fingers through his bangs and knotted them into a fist. 

His heart shot up into his throat when his phone buzzed again. He almost dropped the device trying to open up the application.

_[lol]_

Roxas let out the biggest breath of his life. Crisis averted.

He and Sora communicated through GummiChat almost nonstop since Sora had been saved. Roxas and his friends had been using the application for quite some time before then, and when he introduced Sora to the service, the brunet was hooked.

Roxas didn’t know if Sora was ever being purposefully flirty, but considering the other man’s track record, Sora was probably just super clueless.

That’s how it all started: Sora would say something clever or cute and Roxas could feel his heart suddenly pumping extra blood into his cheeks. Roxas quickly became addicted to these correspondences, sometimes even sneaking photos in class or chatting under his desk. When Sora found out what the blond was doing, he refused to respond to anything during class or Roxas’ homework time. But, when Roxas was without Sora’s long-distance company, his brain decided to fill in the gaps with other things.

The fantasies started out innocently at first: romantic little daydreams with no real consequence. He imagined Sora coming to visit him. Then, they would be holding hands and watching a movie in the square. Sometimes, they’d share an ice cream after dinner. Then, Sora would kiss his hand, or his cheek… but he’d always ask before ever kissing his lips.

In his head, Roxas could hear Sora asking, “Can I kiss you?” And it sent his heart fluttering like hummingbird wings in the breeze.

Fortunately, Roxas was already a decent student even without the added distractions carrying him off his focus. It was rote memorization that he struggled with. That, however, was Sora’s wheelhouse. He wondered if it was a gift leftover from Naminé fixing the brunet’s memory.

“You probably would have done really well if you decided to stay in school,” Roxas told Sora once over a video call.

Sora laughed, “And miss all of this?” He gestured to the Corona skyline, where a blanket of lanterns was wrapping the world in gold. “These are the moments I’d prefer memorizing, thank you.”

Roxas smiled, “That’s very fair. I don’t honestly blame you.”

“One of these days, when all your homework is finished for good, I’ll bring you with me.”

And just like that, Roxas had another daydream he could drape over his mind: sitting beside Sora underneath the lantern-studded sky.

The school bell rang, and Roxas and Pence parted ways to shuffle off to their next classes. As per one of Sora’s requests, he left his phone in his school bag so as not to risk a distraction. He waited patiently through the next few classes, crossing paths with Hayner, Olette, Pence, and Xion like normal. When the lunch bell rang, he pulled his phone out of his bag to check for more GummiChat notifications.

Instead, there was a voicemail from Sora.

“Roxas! Look, I can’t talk long—“ there was the sound of a massive crash, and Sora cursed, “Sorry! Sorry! Anyway, don’t panic! I just needed to tell you—” Another massive clattering, then a muffled, “Oh SHIT—”

The message ended.

Roxas was thoroughly confused. His immediate instinct was to call the brunet back. When he did, it went straight to voicemail. Despite what Sora told him, he could feel panic rising in his chest.

Was Sora okay? There was such a commotion going on in the background. He wanted to text anyone to ask if they’d heard from the other man, but this message had been left no more than an hour ago. Surely the brunet would get in touch again soon, and surely Roxas’ anxiety was proof that he’d been obsessing just a little too much lately.

He parted ways with his friends and took the short trek back to his studio apartment near Station Heights. The initial idea was that he, Axel, Lea, and Xion would get a place together while Xion and Roxas finished high school. However, after talking it through, they realized it’d be best to get separate places so they could learn to exist and thrive as individuals. They also realized it would be better for Roxas and Xion to have some privacy so they could really come into their unique identities. Axel and Isa got their own places near the local community college to get their degrees in science started while Roxas and Xion found studio apartments about fifteen minutes away from Twilight Town’s high school. They were able to pay for all of it through a grant King Mickey set up to thank them for their services as heroes.

He walked into his apartment and kicked off his shoes. His place was small, but it had everything Roxas needed. The first thing one would see walking into the short entryway is the small kitchenette. To the left was the rest of the apartment. On the right wall was the living space, which consisted of a decently-sized tv, gaming console, and a loveseat. Around the TV was a large bookcase with several games, books, and various knick-knacks. On the left of the living space was an extended section that housed the bathroom and closet. Flush against the closet wall is where Roxas’ bed sat. Across from that was his small desk.

However, the real treasure of the space was at the far wall. It sat to the right of his desk, and to the left of the living space: the balcony. It was perfect.

Two massive french doors swung into the apartment, leading out to a balcony with a wrought-iron railing and very little depth. It was ridiculously small for how big the french doors made it seem. Two and a half people could stand out there comfortably, but that was it. There wasn’t even room to put a chair or a large potted plant… but Roxas loved it all the same. Olette and Axel helped him hang sheer white curtains on both the inside and outside for added privacy. During summer nights, he left the french doors wide open so the curtains would gently billow in the warm breeze. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Because of the close proximity to school and the Usual Spot, Roxas’ place almost always became his friend’s secondary hang-out. After all, it was bigger than the Usual Spot and had air-conditioning. Today though, he was grateful to be alone. His anxiety over Sora was putting him into a weird mood, and he was desperate to decompress. With no homework for their last week of school, he plopped down into his loveseat and booted up his console.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on. It was almost embarrassing how often Roxas would pick up his phone to check for new messages. He was technically an adult now, and yet he was acting like a middle-schooler. He felt like a lovestruck dork.

He went to bed that night hoping some good rest would help alleviate his fears… but instead, he laid awake with a knotted up stomach. For a brief moment, he entertained messaging the group chat he shared with his Twilight Town friends to discuss his plight. That thought was quickly dashed when he realized someone would have contacted him directly if Sora attempted to get in touch through them. If Sora really was in trouble, though, then nobody would have heard from him. In his earlier GummiChat photos, there wasn’t even a clear background. Roxas had no idea where Sora was, or where he had been.

Or did he?

He grabbed his phone off his nightstand and opened up Keystagram. He didn’t have to scroll long before one of Sora’s posts appeared on his feed, uploaded the previous day. Sora was in Radiant Garden’s Borough, throwing up his signature shaka in a selfie. It was his go-to pose in most pictures, especially ones with a really apparent background. When Roxas asked him about it a while back, the brunet gleefully explained, “It’s so I can bring a little piece of the island with me wherever I go!”

Despite how laid back the picture was, Sora still looked drop-dead handsome in it. He was wearing the outfit created for his travels alone, repurposed from a few Organization XIII uniforms by the three good fairies. This was done as recommended by the Wayfinder Trio, as they figured he could use all the extra protection he could get without any allies by his side to defend him. The fairies turned the cloak into a stylish jacket with an added burgundy lining. The bangles remained as the cinchers for the hood. The sleeves were capped with a stretchy fabric matching the coat’s liner, and he always had them pushed up his forearms. The pants fit his legs more snugly, but they still had plenty of mobility. The gloves were made fingerless, the way Sora prefers them. All the stitching was redone in burgundy. It was impossible to tell in the picture, but the entire outfit was covered in secret pockets that didn’t distract from the style at all. The only thing leftover from Sora’s old clothes was his crown necklace, his favorite white-lined v-neck, and his yellow-and-black shoes.

The caption on this picture wasn’t anything unusual: _Pit-stop in Radiant Garden!_ and a basic variety of related emojis and hashtags. If it was a pit-stop though, then Sora was on his way somewhere. But where did he end up?

As Roxas’ thoughts continued to spiral, he kept coming back to how ridiculous he was being. Why did he care so much anyway? Sora was just a friend.

When his brain bit back with all the fantasies and dreams he had of the other man, he shoved them back down. **_Just_ ** a friend that he happened to have a little crush on. **_Just_ **a stupid crush.

He checked the time and realized he’d been lying awake for far too long. Slamming his phone back down, he rolled onto his side and forced all his intrusive thoughts away.

_It was just a stupid crush._

He looked over at the balcony where the streetlamps were bathing his room in a comforting glow.

_Just a stupid crush._

He thought about fireworks, and blue eyes, and a chest held tight with the truth.

_Just a…_

He drifted off to the place where his stupid crush took him every single night.

On the second day, Roxas slept through his alarm and there was still nothing from Sora. Roxas hoped school would help distract him, but now he had an even bigger issue focusing than when he was just daydreaming. He made it all the way to lunch before finally breaking down and reaching out to Riku and Kairi about Soras's strange message. Neither of them heard anything. When he got hold of the Radiant Garden crew by the end of the school day, they also had no information to give.

When he laid in bed that night, his thoughts spiraled again. It was strange: not just to be down a crush, but down a friend. They’d gone from years of almost nonstop communication to nothing in as long as a school day. It wasn’t like Sora at all to just… _ghost_ like that. It amazed Roxas to realize just how fragile it had all been.

He noticed how silly he was being again. Why did it matter so much to him? Sora was an adult with a life separate from Roxas’. It was selfish to be so caught up in his feelings like this when the other man still had no idea how he felt—

So how did Roxas feel?

Three words that clung to him...

His eyes widened.

Chest held tight with the truth—

With all his might, he swept the thoughts away again. He refused to think anything more of them as he twisted up in his bedding. He even squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t be tempted to look at the balcony as he drifted off.

 _Just a stupid,_ **_stupid_ ** _crush._

When sleep reached him, Sora’s lips were upon him again.

On the third day, he woke up, and there was still nothing from the brunet. Desperate for answers, he broke down to the group chat.

_[I still haven’t heard from Sora. I’m getting really worried.]_

Pence was the first to respond, _[You’re only JUST getting worried? Roxas it was the only thing you were talking about yesterday.]_

 _[dude]_ Hayner texted, _[you got called the FUCK out]_

 _[C’mon guys…]_ Roxas typed, [ _I care about my friend, what’s wrong with that?]_

Xion’s response was almost instantaneous: _[ROXAS.]_ It made him flinch.

Olette’s followed shortly after, as if the two women were in sync, _[YOU NEED TO TELL HIM!]_

 _[DUDE]_ Hayner added, and he could picture the dirty-blond man laughing hysterically.

 _[Tell him what????]_ Roxas fibbed. He knew exactly what.

_[You know EXACTLY what!]_

He sighed loudly to himself. It was no secret among their group that Roxas was crushing— **_just stupidly crushing_ **—on the Keyblader. Pretty hard. He didn’t think it was so obvious, but they teased him often enough about it.

Olette said, _[Roxas, regardless of what’s going on with Sora, he would want you to enjoy these last few days before school is over. He wouldn’t want you to stress.]_

Sora’s harried words echoed in his head, _“Don’t panic!”_

Xion added, _[Besides, Sora is unkillable. You know this. He’s FINE.]_

Roxas smiled. These were all fair points. If he didn’t enjoy these last few days, he would be spurning the greatest gift that Sora had ever given him: his life. Wherever Sora was, he was sure to be rooting for Roxas’ happiness. The blond was regretting not texting his friends about this sooner.

 _[bet]_ Hayner added.

 _[DO NOT ever say “bet” again.]_ Xion said.

Roxas laughed and replied, _[Bet.]_

At school that day, his friends went back and forth between assuring Roxas and teasing him. Somehow, he was able to focus back on what few classes they had left as a way to distract himself. That evening, his friends came over to hang out at his place. They continued to occupy his mind with small talk, video games, and movie watching. They decided that tomorrow after school would be the last evening they spent as high schoolers in the Usual Spot.

“Should we invite Axel and Isa?” Pence wondered.

Hayner responded, “Definitely! We haven’t seen those guys in forever.”

“Oh!” Olette gasped, “That reminds me!” She pulled out her phone and showed the group a message. “Isa said he wanted us to meet him and Axel in Tram Common after school tomorrow. He said Xion and I were responsible for wrangling everyone.”

“Are they getting off their shift early from Le Grand Bistrot?” Hayner wondered.

“Seems like it. I guess they want to get the full crew officially together before we graduate.”

“Just three more days, huh?” Roxas muttered.

The room took on a heavy shroud. It had a similar sensation to the last days of summer vacation, but exponentially more uncomfortable. Even the ones of them who had a plan were still getting the vibe all the way down into their heart.

Then, Pence said, “I can’t believe they’re making us do it on a Saturday morning.” and suddenly everything was better again.

They all shared a laugh. Shortly afterward, everyone called it a night and left Roxas to get ready for bed. When the blond did finally curl under the blankets, he realized the embrace of sleep was more quickly upon him that time. He was grateful to have such honest and understanding friends to lean on in his stressful moments.

He wondered where his stupid crush could be, and hoped he’d get to see him again soon.

And he did, that night... in his dreams.

The next day came and went in a blur. Before he knew it, they were at the Usual Spot playing darts and laughing. They decided that, afterward, they would buy sea-salt ice cream and sit on top of the tower at sunset like they used to. Unfortunately, Axel and Lea couldn’t make it due to work. Still, it was a good day. It seemed like a fitting unofficial send-off to their young lives: laid back and simple, just the way it should be.

Roxas had managed to put Sora out of his mind most of the day, up until he was crawling into bed for the night. Fortunately, he’d been tuckered out enough to feel ready for sleep.

He peeked, just once, at the balcony.

His eyes closed.

They opened, and he was at the summer festival. The sky was black as pitch and blanketing them in night. Massive crowds congealed and separated as if they were splits in a river. The town was lit up like the inside of a jack-o-lantern: paper lanterns were lining the streets and spotlights were dancing off the buildings. Music swirled, voices drifted. Everything was a pastel haze of brick-orange and sunny-yellow.

“The fireworks are starting soon,” Roxas said. He turned and saw Sora standing beside him. The brunet was grinning like he had a secret.

“I know the perfect view.”

Sora’s hand wrapped around his, leading him out of the crowd and toward Station Heights. Roxas blinked once, and they were already kicking their shoes off in his studio apartment. Sora led him to the balcony and threw open the french doors. The breeze caught the curtains, winnowing them, and Sora gripped the edges of the sheer panels. A grand smile played on the other man’s lips, and Roxas’ heart turned to slush in his chest. Sora looked like a thief in the night ready to take off with his spoils at the most opportune moment. Sora gently pulled the curtains back and beckoned Roxas to peer over the balcony with him.

Sora had his arms propped up on the wrought iron railing while Roxas leaned against the balcony door frame. The other man’s head was turned toward the sky.

“See?” Sora marveled, “Perfect.”

 _Yes, you are,_ Roxas thought.

“Yes, it is,” Roxas said.

Then, the first stream of glittering gold split the sky in twain. An explosion blanketed the town in a fountain of sparks. Sora’s entire body perked up.

“Yeah-ha-ha!” He cheered as another one launched into the sky.

A symphony of booms and crackles echoed between the streets as cascades of color streamed down from above. It was always a marvel every year, but this year, the blond was having trouble focusing on the display. Seeing Sora’s face lit up with a sense of wonder, as if he were seeing fireworks for the first time all over again, amazed Roxas. It made the event all that more magical for him. He’d been hoping Sora could make it out to the festival for years now, and here their hero finally was.

Then, Sora turned to look at him, “I know I said it a bunch before today but…” His lips quirked in an easygoing smile, “Happy birthday, Roxas.”

That’s right. That summer—the summer before he would graduate—he had turned 18. They’d managed to pinpoint the date of his official start of existence as June 3rd, which was usually a week before Twilight Town’s first summer event: the firework festival. They’d always chosen to celebrate during the festival, and this was the first time Sora could make it.

Even better, Sora was standing in Roxas’ room right then and there. The other man was like an ethereal being who came to whisk him away to Olympus. The lights of the town were making Sora’s tan skin smolder with gold. Occasionally, a firework would go off and outline Sora’s face with a neon glow. Trails of sparks echoed in his deep blue eyes.

It was just as much a haunting moment as it was a romantic one to Roxas. It froze him right through to the bone. He’d fought villains and monsters and saved the world from the apocalypse… and yet here he was, playing out the greatest regret he would have for his lifetime. He couldn’t even bring himself to thank the brunet. What little hope Roxas had to say something was dashed when Sora shot him a grin.

“The fireworks are going to go most of the night. Think you’ll sleep okay?” The brunet asked.

Roxas assumed the other man needed to leave soon. Sora had business to attend to in the morning, on another world even, so the blond had been expecting a sudden departure at any time. 

“Guess I’ll find out.”

Shaking his head, Sora responded, “No… I’m not letting you go to bed **_just_** yet.”

Sora stepped away from the railing. Another firework exploded, and it rattled Roxas’ already-trembling nerves. The brunet’s normal smile-plastered expression had fallen into something unreadable. An uncertain lull stretched between them as a cacophony of fireworks shook the sky.

This is where two paths diverged in front of Roxas.

The first one was from his actual memory.

Sora stared for a long few seconds in contemplation. Then, with a sudden “Aha!”, he skipped toward the living room. He grabbed Roxas’ loveseat and pulled it toward the balcony so they could sit as they continued watching the fireworks. The rest of the night was spent talking, beaming, laughing, and enjoying the show. At some point Roxas must have drifted off to sleep because, when he awoke, he’d been laid in his bed. Feelings of regret hung in his waking haze. His loveseat was back in its usual spot. His alarm clock had been unplugged. Sora had sent him a text:

_[Hope you slept well.]_

It was the last dreamless sleep he would have for a long time.

The second path was the dream that plagued him every night since the summer festival.

Sora stepped toward Roxas, suddenly leaning forward. Roxas could feel Sora’s breath on his lips, but all he could focus on was the brunet’s eyes. They were closer than they’d ever been, and the blue seemed to sparkle in the night.

“Sora,” Roxas said, “Will you stay with me tonight?”

“Can I kiss you, if I do?”

Another firework popped in the sky as an electric jolt went ricocheting in his body. This is where daydreams ended and his salacious desires began. This was the forbidden place his waking mind had to tamp down after every morning. This was his innermost regret and hope come to life in the world of sleep.

“Yes,” Roxas breathed into Sora’s lips, and they were upon him.

Roxas was pressed into the balcony frame with the strength of the kiss. Sora brought a hand up to the back of the blond’s neck to pull him forward. Roxas’ hands lingered on whatever exposed skin they could find: Sora’s collarbone, cheeks, forearms, neck… he couldn’t get enough of the sensation. Their lips parted, tongues flicking together. It sent another static sting ringing through his body. In his head, he willed the other man for more.

The hand on Roxas’ neck moved to his blond spikes and knotted them into a fist. Roxas groaned, biting Sora’s lip in retaliation. The brunet groaned back, using Roxas’ tilted head as leverage to ease his tongue further into the blond’s mouth.

 _I want you,_ Roxas thought.

Sora pulled back, whispering, “I want you, Roxas.”

Then, just like always, Roxas was falling back onto his bed with Sora atop him. In the haze and convenience of the dream, they had already become a tangle of limbs. Sora’s silhouette seemed to dance with the lights of the town and fireworks behind him.

Then, Roxas' alarm went off.

He cried out as his eyes flew open. The sun was beaming through his balcony, and a mantra of “Zeus damnit” and “Every **_freaking_ ** time” left his mouth as he scrambled to throw the covers off himself. Roxas began his normal routine of pretending nothing had just happened: he took an ice-cold shower, brushed his teeth, got clothes on, made himself breakfast, and shoved the whole dream and all the resulting guilt or hope it may have caused back into his subconscious.

It took until Pence sat down next to him in homeroom for him to remember that it was their last day of school. The brown-eyed boy looked especially mischievous that morning and it made Roxas curious. Strangely, the day was neither too long nor too short. He was incredibly anxious at times, and other times, tranquility settled over him. He had some goodbyes with his teachers, and fellow students, and random administrators he’d spoken to only once or twice in his lifetime. When the last bell rang, his friends found each other and decided to walk out of school together.

“Wait!” Pence cried.

They turned to see Pence hadn’t quite stepped out of the school yet. With indignance, he yanked his tie off his neck, knotted it into a ball, and tossed it over his shoulder. They all laughed. In solidarity, they followed suit: removing their ties, balling them up, and tossing them back into the school. They were officially free.

They made their way down to Tram Common and met up with Axel and Lea.

“Yo!” The redhead called, “How’s it feel to be done?”

Roxas was the first to respond, “Well we haven’t been to our graduation _yet._ So we’re not technically done.”

Axel scoffed, “I hope they gave you honors for being a smartass.”

“Would that honor be a stole or sash?”

Axel rubbed at his chin in consideration. “Both… because that’s how obnoxious you are.”

They shared a cheeky grin. Isa stepped forward.

“Let’s head out. Got everything you need?”

Nodding, Axel reached into a pocket. Then, looking confused, he began patting his other pockets. “Shit. Actually, I think I left my phone in my work locker. Let’s go inside the Bistrot. I’m sure someone in there owes all of you a congrats or two, anyway.”

He beckoned them to follow. The lights of the Bistrot seemed dim, and there wasn’t much movement behind the frosted glass. Roxas never knew the place to have a lull, especially right after school got out.

They opened the doors, walked inside, and the lights all snapped to full strength at once. There was a series of pops as a cloud of black, white, and gold confetti obscured their vision. A loud variety of “CONGRATULATIONS!” belted from within the restaurant.

Before the confetti cleared, Roxas could feel himself being scooped into a crushing hug. He recognized who it was almost immediately when spiked hair pressed into his cheek.

The figure pulled back, and Roxas found himself looking into the beaming face of Sora.

“Congratulations!” Sora said, “And... surprise!”

Roxas was, in fact, incredibly surprised. His eyes quickly took in the sight behind Sora: everyone was there. Riku, Kairi, Namine, the entire Radiant Garden crew, the Wayfinder Trio, The King, Donald, Goofy… every single person who fought by his side, who he helped save the world. All of them, including Sora.

Axel grinned from off to the side. “I told you someone might owe you some congrats.”

As a cascade of emotions flooded him, words came tumbling out.

“Sora, you’re here—everyone is here. Who planned this?”

“I did, of course!” Sora chirped, “I planned this for all of you. You all finally made it to the moment you’ve been waiting for. That was something worth celebrating.”

Roxas felt the tears in his throat before they ever reached his eyes. Without a second thought, he pulled Sora back in for another hug and pressed his forehead into the brunet’s shoulder. “Idiot,” He muttered, tears flowing freely down his cheeks, “I only made it because of **_you_ ** _,_ Sora.”

_I love you._

His glossy eyes went wide.

There it was: the truth he’d been pushing away this whole time. Since the two of them started hanging out and texting, he had an inkling about it. But from the moment they had watching the fireworks, he’d known. He just didn’t want to accept it. He wasn’t ready to accept it.

Was he ready now?

He swallowed hard as Sora wrapped his arms around Roxas again. The blond felt pure bliss. He never wanted to come out of this moment and face the world again.

There was pressure all around them, and he realized it was because every person in the restaurant had descended upon them in a massive group hug. He even felt Little Chef nuzzle comfortingly into his hair. Roxas felt uplifted and secure all at once. His tears pulsed out of him in a sob.

“Thank you,” He wept.

His Twilight Town friends echoed their own gratitude amidst sniffles and sobs.

Suddenly, Sora pulled back again. He dabbed wet cheeks with the back of a gloved hand. “That’s enough crying for now!” He demanded, “We can pick it up tomorrow when all of you are done getting your diplomas. Come and eat!”

The crowd before them parted, and they saw the entire back wall of the kitchen was flocked with steaming dishes of food and sparkling delicacies that looked more like art than dinner.

Hayner was the first to break from the group, “Hell, you don’t have to tell me twice!”

His other friends joined the bombastic blond, and the crowd of their otherworldly friends pooled seamlessly into clusters of lively conversation around the restaurant. Roxas looked at the brunet. They were still holding one another by the elbows. Sora’s skin was warm, and it felt like Roxas was sucking its heat directly into his own cheeks. He still had so many questions.

“Sora, I—”

“Roxas,” Sora replied softly, gently cutting the blond off. He reached up and wiped a tear from Roxas’ cheek with his thumb. The sensation sent a tingle all across the blond’s face. “Go eat food. You’ll feel better.”

Lips quirking into a smile, he nodded and went off to join his friends. As we was ogling the many delights, he spotted Little Chef skittering up onto the table. Roxas bent down to speak with him.

“It looks amazing, Little Chef. Did Sora help you make all of this?”

Beaming, the rat’s head bounced happily. He also gestured toward Axel and Isa.

“Those guys too?” He couldn’t help but chuckle, “That’s a bit of a surprise.”

As if on cue, Axel poked his head into the conversation. “Yeah right! We’ve been helping get this shindig together for almost five whole days now.”

Roxas asked, “You spent the entire week setting this up?”

The little rat bounced his head in acquiescence.

“I… have no words. Thank you all so much.”

Little Chef bowed, and Axel guffawed. “You can thank us by eating before everything gets cold!” He handed Roxas a dinner plate, then gave him a playful shove, “Now get in there!”

Roxas’ eyes scanned the luxurious display uncertainly, “I don’t even know where to start!”

Little Chef’s ears perked up and he gestured for Roxas’ attention. The creature led him down the long stretch of tables, pointing out foods to grab and instructing the blond on adding garnishes or pouring sauces. By the time his plate was piled with food, it looked like an absolute masterpiece. Leave to it Little Chef to make a fine dining experience out of what could have been a simple buffet.

They enjoyed good food and excellent conversations all the way past sundown. It was the first time they truly got to celebrate together after saving Sora. It was amazing to Roxas that he’d acquired such an amazing extended family through all these hardships.

During a conversation he was having with Ventus about which one of them wore their hair better, Sora tapped him on the shoulder.

The brunet muttered close to Roxas’ ear, “Meet me outside when you’re done?” and it sent chills all up and down him.

As Sora crept outside, Ventus gave him an amused smile, “You look like a lobster right now.”

Roxas fixed his lips in a tight line.

Ventus laughed, “Just go, dude.”

When Roxas arrived outside, the town was bustling in its usual manner. A sign on the Bistrot’s door read “Reserved for Private Party.” Sora was sitting at the nearest table with a small, covered serving tray in front of him. The brunet stood, suddenly—rattling the metal table and its minimal contents.

“Roxas! I didn’t think you’d follow me right out.”

The blond came and sat in front of him. “It seemed pretty important.”

Sitting back down, Sora beamed at him, “It is pretty important.”

He lifted the silver lid from the tray. Sitting on a platter was a small yellow cake with white cream and sliced strawberries lining the middle section. Roxas actually felt his mouth watering as he took in the sight.

Sora announced, “It’s a fraz—uh, no. It’s a freash… crap… It’s a frasher? Frazier? Whatever. It’s a strawberry cake.” He flashed a crooked grin, “I made it just for you.”

Roxas laughed, “Your memory is so good, and yet you can’t remember the name of a dish **_you_ ** made.”

“Whatever. It’s the pronunciation I struggle with, not the name.” He handed the blond a fork, “My only request is that you share some with me since I haven’t gotten a chance to try it yet.”

“I suppose that’s a fair price for all the wonderful things you’ve done for us today.” Roxas crossed his arms and facetiously added, “Although, I don’t know if I’ve forgiven you for ghosting me quite yet.”

Brows furrowing, Sora asked, “Ghosting you?” He paused for a long second, and then realization crept into his expression, “Didn’t Axel text you to let you know I was fine?”

Roxas’ own eyes went wide, “Apparently not.”

“Zeus damnit Axel...!” His hands went to cover his face, “Ugh, for someone who says ‘got it memorized’ all the time, he sure is forgetful. I should’ve asked Isa.” 

“What happened?”

“I didn’t want to risk anyone finding out I was in town. I even told everyone who was coming to pretend like they didn’t hear from me. I started working in the Bistrot’s kitchen almost as soon as I got here on Monday. My plan was to call while you were in class and let you know I’d be off the grid for a while. But the kitchen was so busy and, of course, I tripped—and my phone dropped into the damn consommé!” He flopped back into his chair.

At first, Roxas was shocked… but then, he couldn’t help the laughter bubbling out of him. Based on his memory of the brunet’s message, it all came together perfectly in his head. Here, he’d been so genuinely worried about Sora’s health and it turned out to be something completely in-character.

The brunet groaned, “Yeah, I know… typical Sora right? Little Chef was **_pissed_ **. He had me scrubbing pots all night after that! Anyway, I asked Axel to text you and let you know I was okay. I guess that never happened. I hope I didn’t worry you.”

Roxas tucked the truth of the matter in with all the other secrets he was keeping about the other Keyblader. “I was a little worried,” He lied, “But I figured you could handle yourself.” He was suddenly extra grateful for his friends talking him down from his concerns when they did.

Relieved, Sora let out a sigh, “Good.”

They both took a bite of the cake. It was the perfect combination of sweet and spongy.

“Does this mean you’ll be at the ceremony tomorrow?”

“You bet! I’m ready to cry and take lots of pictures. Oh! Speaking of!”

He jumped out of his chair, pulled his phone out, and came to Roxas’ side. Recognizing the brunet’s zeal, Roxas was ready to put his arm around the other man’s shoulders as Sora’s hand came to rest on his side. They both flashed their toothiest grin as Sora snapped a photo. Kneeling beside the blonde, he opened up the pic. It was perfect, just like most of Sora’s pictures. They always seemed to be perfect on the first try, which was an insane skill the brunet seemed to have. It was like there was no way to take a bad photo with the man because his valor flooded into whoever he was with.

Recently, Sora had become defined by his love of taking pictures. “They’re like memories that never fade,” He explained once, “If I always have pictures, then I always have a piece of my heart somewhere safe. It’s like a little snapshot trapped in time and space, where no one can touch it.”

It made Roxas wonder if one of Sora’s few fears was losing his memories again. It was strange to think the man was troubled by not remembering something but shrugged off death like it was nothing.

“Send that one to me,” Roxas insisted.

“Totally!” Putting his phone away, Sora returned to his seat and picked his fork back up. “So, you really did ditch the tie, huh?” Roxas described their last act of defiance that day at school, and Sora guffawed around a piece of cake in his mouth, “That's amazing! It really is the end of an era, huh?”

Eyes cast downward, Roxas said, “I don’t know whether I feel free or… trapped, honestly,” Sora quirked his head, so Roxas continued, “You know like... when you go out to eat at a restaurant that you’ve never been to, and you sit down. It’s beautiful and new and interesting—but then, they hand you a menu. The menu is more like a book. There’s too many choices, **_way_ ** too many, and it feels like it goes on forever. You think, ‘Can I really commit to this dish? Or that one?’ It feels like you’ve been looking at this menu for **_ages_ ** … but now the waiter is back at your table asking for your order, and you **_still_ ** have no idea what you want after all that time.”

Sora nodded solemnly, “I can absolutely imagine what you’re talking about.”

Roxas ate another piece of cake before he spoke again, “Basically, nothing’s changed since the last time we talked about it. I’m still just as stuck as I was before.”

Sora took a long breath. Roxas gazed at him, watching as the brunet collected himself. This whole scene felt like something out of a movie. The restaurant lights, streetlamps, and sun-baked bricks cast everything in a shade of sepia. Sora’s black clothes, comfortable posture, and contemplative expression made him look like he was posing for an ad. Roxas felt himself getting lost in a momentary daydream: reaching over the table for Sora’s hand and whispering, “Ma belle, je t'adore, je t'aime…” Then, they’d lean in for a kiss just as a brand of perfume appeared on the screen. Were it not for Sora’s serious expression, he would have laughed.

“Roxas, there was another reason I wanted to talk to you outside,” The brunet leaned over the table, talking softly but firmly, “I want you to come with me.”

Unsure of Sora’s meaning, Roxas asked, “Where?”

“ **_Everywhere._ ** You haven’t seen the worlds before.”

Roxas could feel his heart squeezing in his chest. It felt like the air had been punched out of him, like getting knocked back from a blow to the stomach. His mind scrambled for something—anything—that wasn’t just shocked silence this time.

“Well, I have…” Roxas reminded him, “I did in the Organization.”

He mentally slapped himself, _Idiot! ‘Anything’ doesn’t mean_ **_just_ ** _anything!_

Sora shook his head, “No, I mean **_really_** see them. Enjoy them and all the beautiful things they have to offer. Roxas, I can show you the **_worlds_**. All of them.” Serious blue eyes cut deeply into him, “Will you come with me?”

Every part of him was screaming _yes._ _Yes_ , he wanted to go. _Yes_ , he wanted to be by Sora’s side. _Yes_ , he wanted to see everything the galaxy had to offer them.

So why couldn’t he say it? It was no more than a single syllable. It would have taken no more than a breath.

_Say it,_ He begged himself, _Tell him “yes!”_

But he couldn’t bring himself to. He wanted to go… but he didn’t want to go if he felt this way for Sora. It would be dishonest of him and unfair to Sora if he was always silently pining after the man. Furthermore, he didn’t think his heart could take the strain. It was easy when they were worlds away most of the time.

A more practical part of him also argued that, on top of all that, how could he hide it if his sleep was cursed by those lucid wet dreams?

Most of all though, he didn’t want to risk losing this. These moments of Sora’s kindness, his unreserved smile, his endless heart... He never wanted Sora to look at him differently. He never wanted to lose this friendship that he’d come to treasure. He didn’t want Sora to lose it either.

Roxas had been speechless for a very long moment, but it didn’t seem to phase Sora. The brunet was still staring at him intently, somehow looking both eager **_and_ **patient.

Wetting his lips, Roxas finally spoke, “I… don’t know.”

He meant it, too, which was the worst part. 

The brunet blinked once… twice… then, his entire expression softened.

“I’m sorry. That was a little out of the blue, huh?” Sora glanced away and scrubbed at the back of his neck, “I hope you don’t feel pressured or anything.”

“N-no!” Roxas stuttered, “I just… I still have some stuff to think about before I make a big decision like that,” He chuckled, “Besides, who knows? You might get sick of me after a certain point.”

There was another pause. The muffled merriment from inside the restaurant was apparent as Sora’s brows knitted in consideration.

“Roxas… I just had a really great idea.”

Curious, the blond nodded, “I’m listening.”

“How about I stay in Twilight Town for a while, and we get used to being around each other? At the end of it, you can still decide whether or not you want to go with me, and I won’t argue. This way, you can get your stuff figured out and we can actually get to know each other better.”

Heart singing, Roxas could feel himself lighting up from the inside. Finally, some time to spend with Sora in person? To buddy up like he and his Twilight Town friends? “That does sound like a great idea!”

Lifting a piece of cake with his fork, Sora announced, “Then it’s settled! Here’s to the first of many days spent as Sora and Roxas. Cheers!”

Roxas squished his own piece of cake against Sora’s, giggling, “Cheers!”

When they finished the cake they ventured back inside. The festivities continued well into the night, far past how late they should have stayed up with gradation in the early morning. Sora and Roxas had stayed side-by-side the entire evening, practically inseparable. Eventually most of them were sitting and continuing languid conversations as others were beginning the slow process of helping clean the restaurant up. One by one, Roxas’ Twilight Town friends left before him until he was the last one left.

“Please let me help clean up,” Roxas begged. Hayner had been the only one in their group not to make the same offer, and it was only because he’d practically put himself into a food coma.

“No,” Isa told him point-blank, “You have to be up early. Go home.”

Groaning, Roxas argued, “You’re all going to be up at the same time, though. Let me help.”

Isa’s stern gaze flicked to Sora, who put a reassuring hand on Roxas’ arm, “It’s okay, Roxas. Really! Let me walk you home.”

Now preoccupied with the sensation of Sora touching him, he relented… but not before thanking everyone extensively on his way out.

The walk to his apartment was shorter than expected, but that may have been because time always seemed to fly around Sora. When they got to Roxas’ door, the brunet gave him another squeezing hug.

“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow,” Before Roxas had a chance to swoon over the comment, Sora pulled back and followed up with, “It’ll be great to be there when you walk!”

“Yeah!” Roxas agreed, “I also can’t wait for you to… see you seeing me tomorrow… when I walk?”

Sora laughed, “Something like that!” The other man turned and began walking back toward the restaurant.

Roxas had just put his key in his door when he realized he’d forgotten something. “Sora!” Roxas shouted, and the other man looked over his shoulder at him. This time, Roxas didn’t have to mince words, “Thank you for everything. You are… just… amazing. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known. Thank you.”

He could see a dazzling gran stretching across Sora's face. Suddenly, the other man was ducking his head down and scratching the back of his neck.

“It’s no big deal, Roxas. I’d do anything for you.” Then, the other man was running, his voice echoing across the street, “GOODNIGHT!”

Face flush with a blush, Roxas watched until Sora’s retreating form vanished from sight. He looked down at the doorknob, brain forgetting for a beat how opening a door works. A few long seconds later, he was inside and kicking his shoes off. In a few seconds more, his back was against the door and his body was sliding to the floor. His cheeks burned and ached.

_He’d do anything for me._

After managing to compose himself, he got up off the floor, changed, and crawled into bed. He stared out at Twilight Town and all of its sunny-yellow lights.

Eyes sliding closed, Roxas fell asleep with a contented smile on his face.

In his dream, he was stepping out of the Bistrot. The streets were silent and empty.

Sora stood up out of his chair, rattling the metal table. Roxas walked up to him, feeling light as a breeze. Without wasting a word, Sora was wrapping his arms around the blond and pressing him into the restaurant wall.

“I want you, Roxas,” Sora said.

* * *

The door to the Bistrot opened, and Sora stepped back inside. Riku, Kairi, Axel, Isa, and Little Chef were the last ones left out of the party and were all helping clean up. When they heard the door, everyone dropped what they were doing to huddle around Sora. Their eyes were practically sparkling with excitement, and even Little Chef’s ears were perked high above his eager face.

Riku was the first to speak, asking, “You gave him the cake?”

Sora sighed his response, “Yeah…”

Axel added, “Did you ask him to go traveling with you?”

Sora grimaced, “Yep…”

Bouncing on her heels, Kairi asked, “And you finally confessed your feelings?”

Shoulders slumping, Sora shook his head no.

His crestfallen vibe quickly infected the small crowd: each person’s expression fell into disappointment as they let out a collective groan… except for Kairi. She grabbed Sora’s shoulders and shook him. Violently.

“THIS WAS YOUR PERFECT CHANCE!” She cried, “WHAT HAPPENED?”

“Roxas is really stressed out right now, okay?!” Sora cried back, “I didn’t want to drop a bombshell like that when he already said he didn’t know if he wanted to travel with me!”

It was Axel who snapped next, “DUDE. That’s why you were supposed to ask him _after_ you confessed!”

Unbeknownst to all of them, since they were also Roxas’ close friends, Axel and Isa were aware of Roxas’ feelings for Sora. It wasn’t their place to tell the brunet, but when they found out Sora had mutual feelings, they’d been taking turns urging both sides to confess. Isa had been incredibly patient through the whole ordeal, but right then Axel was practically foaming at the mouth in frustration. When a series of angry noises made its way out of his throat, Isa gave him a firm but reassuring pat on the back.

“I know!” Sora defended himself, “But I chickened out at the last minute. He was just **_staring_ ** at me, and I-I couldn’t think!”

The two tall men shared a look that held the same thought: _They’re perfect for eachother._

“It’s okay, though,” Sora said, “I think I have a new plan.”

Looking back, it was probably the dumbest plan any of them had heard. Axel practically choked on his annoyance at the suggestion of it. There was no sense to it, and there certainly wasn’t a chance of success for it.

This is precisely why it was so surprising when the plan actually **_worked._ **

...for the most part, anyway.

* * *

_Exeunt._

* * *

A/N: Well I was supposed to have this finished for SoRoku Week 2020’s Day 1 prompt, which was mutual pining. Then I was also supposed to have it done by Valentine’s Day. But, roughly 36 pages later and _only chapter one_ is done! This was meant to be a one-shot, but I thought it might be more fun to split it up into two parts. SHIT. What-the-heck-ever, I really don’t care that drabbles keep turning into full stories, it was fun to write. Will we learn Sora’s side of the story too? I guess we’ll find out soon!

**_References and Inspirations:_ **

  * _“Ma Belle Evangeline” from Princess and the Frog. Totally underrated Disney song. So simple and romantic and stupidly sweet. Also a world I’d love to see in a Kingdom Hearts game!_


  * “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. Obviously.


  * The yaoi manga Scratch Blue.


  * I just finished watching all of Miraculous Ladybug over Valentine’s Week, so Roxas’ interactions with Sora are based loosely around Marinette and Adrien.


  * Roxas’ apartment is based on a design that the website Modsy was showcasing for studio apartments layouts. I was having trouble coming up with a really simple layout on my own. The balcony is actually based on one a friend of mine actually had. The balcony itself was so insanely small depth-wise for how big and beautiful the doors made it seem, and yet, it was so lovely. Great view of the city, cozy, and she did an amazing job of bringing it to life with lots of cute plants. I almost wanted to live there.


  * The beautiful artists and writers contributing to the SoRoku Week tag, whose art I am just now seeing because I’m no longer distracted with writing this chapter.



**Some News:**

Reminder: I have a Twitter for more frequent and less wordy updates! You can follow me **@mewsomniac**.

Also… might be throwing my hat in the ring with a T-rated Miraculous Ladybug fic… haven’t quite decided yet.

**_SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU, THE READER:_ **

RIP Snapchat! I wanted to challenge myself by writing a story that had a lot of phone usage, and details (mainly Sora’s clothes and Roxas’ apartment)! Please let me know how I did on both of those if you’re willing.

I would appreciate your critique so I may take it into future fics!

-+-

**Thanks for your help! Please please PLEASE favorite, review, ask questions, send kudos, add bookmarks… anything!**


	2. Love Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month since Roxas' graduation, and the tension has only been getting worse and worse for both of our absolutely clueless boys. But Sora has the perfect plan, and it's way better than his last one... so long as everything—EVERYTHING—goes off without a hitch.

**Disclaimer:** All characters in this fanfiction are 18 years of age or older.

**For readers who are 18+ ONLY:**

**To read the uncensored, explicit, extra-sexy version of this chapter, please visit my author profile for links.**

* * *

**Sleeping Late & Lying Awake**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

When Sora put his lips on Roxas’, he knew everything was as it should be.

The firmness of the kiss, Roxas’ arms draped over his shoulders… it was all perfect. It was the most comfortable he’d felt in years. Maybe too comfortable, considering they were in public. This thought sent a little forbidden thrill through him. It only added to the deliciousness of it all.

Sora had one hand on the wall and the other tangled in Roxas’ hair. The blond strands felt so incredibly soft between Sora’s fingers. He could taste warm lust on the other man’s breath, and it made the static between their lips all the more sweet. His own mouth twitched with a smile and he gripped some blond locks into a fist to angle Roxas’ head back—pressing them deeper into the sultry flavor of one another’s mouths.

Lips parting, Sora whispered into the kiss, “I’ve been waiting for this for **_so_ ** long.” He flicked his tongue against the other boy’s teeth and delighted in the tremor he felt beneath his touch. The quietest moans and sighs drifted from between their kisses, softer than a summer breeze and just as light. Then, Sora could feel Roxas smirking into the kiss.

In spite of their flush-proximity, Roxas managed to pull him closer. The brunet moaned loudly, much louder than he intended.

Roxas hushed him, cooing, “Careful… don’t wanna get caught, right?”

Sora glanced carefully from side-to-side. This particular alley sat next to the tram track in Tram Common. It connected the area between the Bistrot and the movie theater. This late at night, rarely anyone ever passed through… but there was still a gaping hole at the corner with a clear look into the alley. They were pressed into one especially shadowy section where the lights of the town created a near-perfect blindspot… but that didn’t stop the shudder running up Sora’s spine.

“Don’t scare me like that,” Sora whispered while pecking the blond playfully.

Roxas’ tongue traced Sora’s upper lip before pressing their mouths into another kiss. The blond’s hands were between them, fingers worming their way around Sora’s belt.

“I didn’t bring you here just to make out,” Roxas whispered, warm and lustrous, into his ear—

And Sora felt the water dip in temperature.

A string of curses left him as he scrubbed his armpits a little faster. His daydreams had been getting the better of him lately, with each one being a little more intense than the last.

“I’m sorry, Roxas,” He muttered to himself. It felt wrong to have such fantasies about someone who was none-the-wiser. Most days, his mind was clear… after all, he had things to do and distractions to attend to. But every now and again, he’d wake up and his mind would slip off to that sensual space that Roxas occupied. It had gotten exceptionally worse since he was staying in Twilight Town, it seemed.

He’d had these feelings in little bursts and bits since one particular day: the day he first looked at Roxas’ picture in the darkness. The name came to him so easily, dredged from the corner of his subconscious as if Roxas were whispering it himself. Right then, he had a name for the blond… but he wanted more. So much more. In his dreams, he chased his Nobody to the edges of his heart; as soon as he was close enough to touch, he awoke. It was maddening. Each time he saw Roxas after that, he didn’t want to let go—but the Nobody slipped through his grasp, no matter what. After the Mark of Mastery exam, he stopped dreaming. The sleeping world had become nothing more than a blink to him. He wondered if it was a side-effect of the Power of Waking. It was almost a mercy at that point.

But now, after everything they’d all been through, Sora had been saved. On top of that, he and Roxas finally got to have a normal friendship. At least, as normal as one person traveling space could have with someone attending high school. It was everything he’d hoped for…

But his feelings kept growing. And growing. And growing… until he would hear his phone buzz and spring to grab it in case he received a message from Roxas. Among all the friends he’d communicated with, Roxas was his most frequent contact. Before he knew it, he was flirting with the blond, and hoping that the blond would flirt back. However, when Sora found out Roxas was texting him during classes, he had to put a moratorium on that immediately. He was infatuated with the blond, but he wouldn’t let that put any of Roxas’ schoolwork in jeopardy. His life as the universe’s favorite hero was busy, but he tried as often as he could to visit Twilight Town anyway. It broke his heart to have to miss Roxas’ birthdays so many years in a row, but he swore he wouldn’t miss the blond’s 18th. Not for anything in the world.

That June was when it dawned on him.

They spent the entire day together, and Sora felt like his heart was going to explode into a thousand smoldering pieces at any second. Every smile, every laugh, every time Roxas looked over his shoulder at Sora… it sent him full to bursting. When Sora grabbed Roxas’ hand to go back to the latter man’s apartment, it took everything in him not to go in for a kiss instead.

During the fireworks show, Sora turned to look at Roxas, “I know I said it a bunch before today but…” His lips quirked in an easygoing smile, “Happy birthday, Roxas.”

All at once, it felt like the air was ripped from him. Leaning against the balcony frame, Roxas’ pale face was warmed from the festival lights. His white hoodie took on the color of each firework that went off, making him glow with technicolor lights. His head was titled to the side, crystalline eyes softened, lips parted… everything in Sora was screaming to kiss the other man.

_Lean over and kiss him with everything you have. Kiss him!_

But it was as if Roxas had cast Stopza on him. He was so taken by the sight, in fact, that he didn’t notice Roxas had been silent that entire time. He plunged around inside his head for something to say, anything to break his own silence and the spell he was under.

“The fireworks are going to go most of the night. Think you’ll sleep okay?” The brunet asked.

The blond’s face fell, and Sora regretted asking. Tonight was Roxas’ night, and he wasn’t going to leave him any time soon.

“Guess I’ll find out,” Roxas replied.

Shaking his head, Sora said, “No… I’m not letting you go to bed **_just_** yet.”

He realized then the innuendo that may be perceived from the statement. For a long, long moment, he wondered if he should act on it anyway. He wanted to be with Roxas for a long time now, but something about it terrified him. He had brushed off death time and time again… yet he was mortified at the thought of sharing his feelings with Roxas. Maybe it wasn’t that, but that he didn’t want to ruin their wonderful friendship. He could take the rejection, but he couldn’t take losing Roxas entirely.

He told himself, _This is_ **_Roxas’_ ** _night… not “accidentally attempt to seduce Roxas” night, or “ruin Roxas’ birthday with your feelings” time. You’re his_ **_friend._ ** _Get to know him. Pull up a chair, and listen to him... be a friend!_

A lightbulb went off. He pulled the loveseat over to the balcony and had Roxas sit with him. They did the next best thing, which was talking all night long in the darkness of Roxas’ apartment. They watched the fireworks in the sky while they poured out their souls to one another. It was magical.

Sora was partway through a story about a recent mishap he had when he realized Roxas had dozed off. He spent a good long time just watching the other man snoozing away: body lax, eyelashes draped downward, chest rhythmically rising and falling.

Sora whispered into the darkness, “I love you, Roxas.”

Roxas’ gentle breathing was the only response. He smiled anyway.

Working carefully, the brunet lifted the blond and tucked him into bed. As he pulled the covers over Roxas’ chest, he couldn’t help but gaze down at the other man’s parted lips. He thought about all those stories that ended with true love’s kiss… but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not without Roxas’ permission. Instead, he left the softest of pecks on Roxas’ forehead. 

“Sleep tight, Roxas,” He murmured, “I hope you dream of me.”

Deciding Roxas deserved a good rest after that long night, he unplugged the blond’s alarm clock. He also replaced the loveseat. Then, he put on his shoes and left.

And he carried that regret with himself ever since.

The water temperature of the shower dropped dangerously close to freezing, and he made quick work of finishing his shower. At this rate, he might end up being the reason Twilight Town goes into a drought. Sora turned off the faucet just as the first drops of icy-cold hit his skin, and he stepped out of the stall to dry with an extra-plush towel. Normally, because of his minimal belongings, he would stay the night in hostels or on his GummiShip. This time, he’d been staying in one of the town’s nicer hotels. It was the closet thing he’d ever had to an apartment, with a fully-stocked kitchen and furnished living space.

It greatly unnerved him. There was something about having a permanent space somewhere that made him uncomfortable. Maybe it’d been because he’d gotten so used to traveling so frequently… but it was a feeling that he’d had since childhood. It was part of the reason why he wanted to leave Destiny Islands in the first place. It was also why he chose not to return there permanently after being saved by his friends. His wanderlust had been exacerbated almost infinitely by his journeys through space. Before, he’d simply been thinking on the scope of his tiny world… but now, there was a whole cosmos to explore. He still wasn’t sick of it, even after all that time.

Sora left the bathroom and used the towel to dry out his spikes. His GummiPhone, only just replaced the previous morning, buzzed angrily. He cursed and flew around the hotel room to gather his clothing as the alarm went off. He’d slept a little too late and gotten caught up in the shower far too long considering he’d taken up a double shift at the Bistrot. 

It’s not like he needed the income, but it was an obligation he’d volunteered himself. He was never hurting for munny, but working had its own appeal—mainly, Sora just hated being idle. He always had to have something on his plate, whether it was gathering synthesis materials or volunteering somewhere. His brain had always been wracked with overactivity. The only time his mind gave him rest was in sleep or the deep reaches of space, where he could lose himself among the endless stars. 

It wasn’t a very long walk from the hotel to the Bistrot. Once there, he beelined for the lockers behind the kitchen. One of the cream-colored lockers was emblazoned with an embossed copper plate reading _Chef-at-Large._ He smiled as he put in his combination. He traded his usual outfit for a chefs coat and pants, then secured his hair with a red bandana. The red bandana was a symbol of Little Chef’s absolute trust in Sora… and he’d only just gotten it back after screwing up the consommé a month prior. Sora slipped into the kitchen to wash his hands. 

Little Chef was already in there, of course, directing the kitchen and assisting with mise en place. Since the rat was the head chef, he would probably be running the pass later with someone’s help—most likely Sora’s. When the creature caught Sora’s eye, his ears perked straight up.

“ _Ban-jur_ , chef!” Sora said, and Little Chef grimaced at the butchered pronunciation.

The rat waved Sora off to a station, and the chef-at-large happily complied. Everything had to be perfect for tonight, not just because it was the busiest night of the week. It had to be perfect… because tonight was the night. At least, now it was. The graduation dinner was supposed to be “the night,” but Sora managed to somehow completely screw that one up.

The new plan he concocted happened at the graduation dinner over cake with Roxas. He realized that maybe, after spending a bunch of time in person with the blond, mutual feelings of attraction would follow. Then, when Sora felt the time was right, he would confess. Depending on how that went, he would then ask Roxas to take a chance and join him on his adventures. If not, he would give Roxas the option of space from him or continuing the relationship in Twilight Town for the time being. He didn’t mind putting everything on hold for Roxas, but he also didn’t want the other man to feel pressured at all. Sora worried this plan bordered on manipulative. After all, he wasn’t being completely honest with the blond. He also worried that if Roxas didn’t have feelings for him, it’d be cruel to leave with so many good memories. He wanted to wait and see what Roxas felt before he did anything else. He wanted to be absolutely sure of everything before endangering their friendship.

Following that, Roxas’ graduation had come and gone in a flurry of yellow caps and just as many tears as they thought it would. Everyone who came to visit had remained in town with them for parties that lasted the rest of the weekend, and then some. The summer of Roxas and his friends’ official adulthood had arrived, and Sora had been spending almost every single day with them. Tonight, after a long wait, it was finally happening. Sora had a romantic night planned for him and Roxas, one that would hopefully rival the magic of the summer festival. They’d been spending as much time as possible together, but this would be as close to something like a date they had so far. Sora had been laying it on thick for four weeks now, trying to make his feelings blatantly obvious without making Roxas uncomfortable. It was intensely painful to play the long game, but he hoped that tonight would be **_perfect_ **… and his confession would be the perfect dollop of perfect on the perfect cake.

All he had to do was survive the normal dinner rush.

* * *

On his way toward Le Grand Bistrot, Roxas wondered if today would finally be the day his heart literally exploded and killed him.

Every single day after his graduation was spent practically nonstop with Sora by his side. Before, he was already pretty stricken by his feelings. As the days stretched on, he had been falling harder and faster for Sora. As one might imagine, his heart was overwhelmed. 

In addition to that, his dreams didn’t get better; they’d only gotten worse. Wherever Roxas and Sora spent the majority of the day, he was sure to revisit it in his desperate dreams.

Roxas dreamt of Sora pinning him into a corner of the movie theater at night. A dozen _what ifs_ threatened to cascade through him—what if we get caught? What if someone sees? What if—what if—

But none ever reached the surface. 

Then, there were dreams of them in an empty train. Other times, they were pressed into the pillows of Roxas’ bed.

It was the lewdest nightmare that had ever existed. Each night was its own torture, though each day he’d loved spending time with the other man. He desperately craved every spare second spent, and would happily endure a million nights of torture just to spend a hundred days with Sora.

Thus, his current dilemma: should he travel with Sora after all, despite his feelings?

His friends had made their opinions known time and time again. They wanted Roxas to stop trying to ignore his feelings and let Sora know how he felt before they made such a big commitment.

“It’s not like your attraction is suddenly going to change,” Olette argued one day after Sora had left them for the night, “If anything, it’ll be way worse.”

“Roxas,” Axel said, “As your best friend in the entire universe… I think you’ve gotta say something. I mean, really dude. You **_have_ ** to. I mean it. You will not regret it. I can guarantee you won’t,” Then, as if transfixed by a craze, Axel laughed hysterically, “I mean, how much you wanna bet it’ll be fine? Seriously, I bet you TEN THOUSAND munny, Roxas! T-E-N T-H-O-U—” He gagged when Isa whacked him in the stomach, his waggling finger drooping.

“What Axel means to say,” Isa added, cooly, “Is that he’s rooting for you.”

Aside from the wisdom of his friends, he mainly just wanted to put himself out of his own misery at this point. There was only so long he could go before he would eventually blackout, pounce on the brunet, and beg for Zeus-knows-what. He just didn’t know when the opportune time would be, and that single thread was enough to weave an entire excuse for his procrastination.

Upon approach, there seemed to be something especially strange about the Bistrot. Roxas took the scene in, eyes scanning side-to-side and taking a mental headcount. Surely, all those people weren’t queuing up _just_ for the restaurant. The tables and benches outside seemed packed, with waiters skimming along the crowd and refilling glass upon glass of wine and water. As he made his way to the host stand, he wracked his brain for an answer. Snippets of conversation kept bubbling all around him, each hinting little clues to the crowd’s excitement.

“...reopening the Sandlot…”

“...intergalactic revival tour?...”

“...concert…”

“...can’t believe he’s **_here_ ** _…”_

“...so excited…”

“... **_Powerline_ ** _!_ ”

Realization struck. Of course! That’s why it was so busy. Twilight Town was one of the many stops on Powerline’s most recent intergalactic tour. Olette, Xion, and Pence had been gushing about it for months. They’d only nailed tickets by a tiny margin too—they waited in digital waiting rooms for almost two hours on multiple screens. Roxas would have liked to have gone, as he’d also become a fan of the hiatused artist, but tickets sold out in mere seconds. He’d put it far enough out of his mind at this point to float above his grief, but now reality was drowning him. His heart sank.

At least he’d be seeing Sora tonight, and hopefully he’d get to say hi to Axel and Isa. No doubt they’d be taking the opportunity to gather as many tips as possible on such a busy night.

After waiting patiently in the queue for the host stand, Roxas checked himself in.

With a quirked brow, the host commented tersely, “You’re here quite early.”

Roxas blinked, “Am I?” When Sora said a table was reserved that night, there hadn’t been a specified time to show up. Roxas figured he’d get there at the end of dinner rush so as not to stress anyone, but this was its own chaos.

“Fortunately,” The host continued, “Your table is ready. Follow me, please.”

Roxas would have been lying if he said the jealous stares from onlookers waiting for their own tables didn’t give him a petty sort of pride. As they entered the Bistrot, the sound that was already loud outside seemed to magnify itself. It was the loudest it’d ever been, Roxas was pretty certain. He was led to a small two-top by the window, which probably had a much better view of the town when there weren’t so many people outside. As he sat, the host didn’t hand him a menu, only said a polite wish for Roxas’ enjoyment of his meal before leaving. Roxas almost felt a pang of awkward longing as he realized how alone he was in the middle of that packed restaurant. Never before had he dined at the Bistrot without at least one friend in tow. In fact, their group often ended the week pooling their odd-job money to share one of the seasonal deserts circulating the menu, usually with the help of Axel or Isa’s employee discount.

Just then, a flicker of red caught Roxas’ eye. A wave of relief cascaded as he called out, “Hey Axel!” As soon as his voice escaped him, though, he knew it was too quiet.

Somehow though, the redhead heard it—his head whipping around to see the blond. “R-Roxas!” Axel’s voice, weirdly squeaking on the O in Roxas’ name, was audible above the noise. The redhead beelined for him, a shuddery chuckle making its way out, “You… you’re here early!”

The blond grimaced, “Apparently I am… what time was I supposed to get here?”

Axel’s lips flattened into a line… then quickly stretched into a tight smile. “You know what,” His words tumbled out in a shaking mess, “It’s totally fine! I’ll just go tell Sora you’re here—you’re in Isa’s section so he’ll be here in a sec—BYE!”

The redhead practically bounded away from him, leaving Roxas blinking and concerned. It must have been a really stressful night if Axel was _that_ flustered on the floor. He could hardly imagine what Sora might be going through in the kitchen.

* * *

“Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap crap…” Sora hissed his mantra for the upteenth time that night. It had practically been his nonstop utterance as soon as the gravity of that night was upon him. It was an odd feeling at first, to not be sure why everyone was pushing at 120% all around him. It honestly wasn’t until Axel and Isa came to speak to him that he realized why everything was quickly falling into chaos.

Of course it would be busy right before a concert. Why didn’t he, of all people, realize it sooner? All of a sudden he was sweating, cursing, and speeding around the kitchen with more fury and heat than any Mad Bumper could ever muster.

“SORA!” Axel’s voice came rattling through the kitchen. Sora looked up to see the man standing tensely before him, “We have a freaking **_problem_ **!”

Face gaunt with a craze, Sora laughed, “I have a million freaking problems right now Axel, but **_please_ ** humor me!”

“Roxas is here.”

Sora’s face dropped as he muttered, “Th… this early?” Fiery red locks bounced in assent and Sora felt the color drain from his face. He didn’t even have time to finish prepping the ingredients for this. They would need a lot ready, too—as soon as people started noticing off-menu items, they’d be requesting them for their own meal.

He had expected at any point for Axel’s expression to harden into a murderous rage, but the redhead remained perfectly mirroring the expression of absolute panic that Sora knew he himself was wearing.

There was a tug on his sleeve, and Sora looked down to see Little Chef peering up at him. The rat began gesturing wildly, and Sora blinked inconfusion. If he was understanding correctly, Little Chef wanted Sora to halt what he was doing and start prepping the secret menu.

“Are… are you sure, Little Chef?”

The rat nodded eagerly, then flapped his little arms in a way that screamed, _Now go!_ **_GO_ ** _!_

* * *

Roxas was just finishing his third beverage—a carbonated thing that tasted like blueberry syrup and lemon juice—when the first part of his meal finally arrived. Isa carried it to him with a graceful jaunt across the restaurant and lowered it to the table with one smooth sweep of an arm.

Roxas looked down as the ivory plate touched the table before him. He’d never seen this dish before, not even on the seasonal menu. Earlier, when he asked about a menu, Isa only kindly asked him to order a drink and wait patiently, as the kitchen was working hard on his multi-course meal.

Now, there was a rare smile quirking Isa’s face as he said, “Your appetizer: jambon persillé. Compliments of the Chef-at-Large. Bon appetit.”

Roxas muttered a thank you and found himself enamored by the lovely display of ingredients before him. All around him, the restaurant had suddenly gotten quieter. It took him a long moment before he noticed the heads that were swiveling in his direction to look upon the completely unique dish before him. Then, eyes flicked up to Roxas, as if expecting something from him. Roxas felt himself going red. What could they possibly want?

Then, he realized, they wanted him to try it; they wanted an assurance from him that this meal was both beautiful **_and_ **edible. Working with a slight tremor to his fingers, he grabbed his silverware and made work cutting into the dish. He tried to get each individual accouterment of the dish in one bite as he probed around the plate with his fork. Then came the bite… and an explosion of flavor coated his mouth. It was a savory ham, with a punch of parsley and a slight crunch from some veggies. Paired with the roasted garlic and apple puree on his plate, it had a full array of flavor profiles. In his absolute culinary stupor, he hadn’t noticed that the curious onlookers, satisfied with Roxas’ silent assent, were now waving down their own waiters so they could try the mystery dish for themselves.

Each course that came to Roxas after this fit a similar formula. With a smile, Isa would bring a dish to him, always with “compliments of the Chef-At-Large.” Other patrons would stare until Roxas took a bite, then demand they also have a plate of what he was having. After finishing the starter, Roxas stopped caring. The tourin soup was smooth and garlicky, and the cassoulet was rich and hearty. It was the best meal he’d ever had at the Bistrot.

Slowly, the other patrons were finishing their wine and paying their tabs. Powerline would be starting soon, if Roxas recalled correctly, and surely people were hoping to get good spots in the Sandlot. He tried not to listen to their continued chatter as he enjoyed each part of the meal, but he still couldn’t help the melancholy welling inside him. At least he was able to drown it in good food and drink. It was just enough food that he had plenty of room for dessert, which was Sora’s specialty. With any luck, dessert might even snuff the cold flame indefinitely.

Roxas hadn’t been waiting long after his main course before he noticed something across the restaurant. He almost jolted with surprise at seeing Sora sidling his way across the restaurant floor towards him. He was almost unrecognizable in his kitchen attire: the chef’s coat clung to him in all the right spots, his face looked more pronounced with the bandana pinning his hair back, and his hands almost seemed naked without gloves on. Roxas had been so surprised that he didn’t even notice what the hands were carrying until Sora was placing it before Roxas.

“ _Eht voy-lah_!” Sora announced, “For your dessert: clafo… clafouh… tis. Whatever, it’s a berry pastry. Once again, compliments of myself.” Head tilting down, Roxas took in the dual triangles of dessert before him: it was two slices of a flaky-crusted thing with cream dripping off what looked to be cherries inside. The brunet smiled, “Hope you don’t mind, I got myself a slice so I could eat with you. I just got off my shift.”

“I don’t mind at all,” Roxas said, “In fact, that gives me a chance to thank you and tell you how mind-blowing my dinner was. Is this a secret menu or something?”

“You should be thanking the French. I just follow the recipes. And let’s just say,” Tapping a finger to his lips, Sora winked, “This is a **_super_ **-secret menu.”

Sora watched with relish as Roxas lifted the spoon from the plate and went for a bite. 

“Good?” It was a rhetorical question. The blond’s expression told Sora all he needed to know: dessert was a success.

Roxas nodded, savoring the bite like he was clinging to a fading memory. He swallowed and said, “It’s like you made a menu entirely for me. It’s perfect.”

Trying to act casual, Sora forced out a laugh. The only thing Sora left out of this super-secret menu confession was that these courses were specially catered for Roxas’ tastes. He’d been paying close attention to the blond’s food preferences for weeks and digging around in French cookbooks trying to find a four-course meal that would be perfect. He was worried it would either come off too obvious or worse, creepy, if he admitted it. Instead, Sora would keep this fact quiet… at least for the time being.

They chatted idly for a bit, taking turns to go over the events of their day and the happenings that occurred since they last saw one another. Eventually, Sora began describing the dinner rush fiasco. Roxas chuckled as Sora described the near-disaster with vigor. “...I’d never seen Little Chef **_so_ ** pissed, Roxas. And of course there’s so many people that came in… there’s a concert tonight, and it’s **_Powerline_ **!”

Sora watched as Roxas’ smile twitched down into a frown. The blond traced the edge of his plate with a tine of the fork, pouting. Then, Roxas lamented, “I can’t believe I missed out on buying tickets.” He forked the last piece of tarte into his mouth and shut his eyes. At least he had a satisfying four-course meal to tamp down his grief.

Sora grinned. He lifted two pieces of paper from his pocket and slid them silently across the table. He then waited patiently for Roxas to open his eyes again. When the blond finally did, he didn’t notice the two stiff strips of paper before him. It was when he went to go scrape the remainders of crumbs from his plate that he spotted them. Roxas’ jaw practically unhinged with the force of his jaw dropping.

In a bold sans serif font, they each read **_POWERLINE ADMISSION x1_ **.

“I…” Roxas stammered, “You—but… how?”

Feeling utterly pleased with himself, Sora leaned back and crossed his arms. “Turns out, he and Goofy are old pals. Something about impressive dance moves and being ‘practically inseparable’ since… he happily hooked us up.”

Roxas went from gaping at the tickets to gaping at Sora, then back to the tickets. His brain then counted two strips of paper and snagged on “ **_us._ **”

He wasn’t sure if it was possible to fight a blush, but damn did he try. He also had to suppress what he felt was the most high-pitched and uncharacteristic squeal he might ever emit building in his chest.

Doing his best to contain his composure, he flashed Sora an earnest grin. “Sora, you really are amazing.”

Now, it was Sora’s turn for the grand battle against the blush. The brunet waved a hand, “Thank you, but you give me too much credit. Let me go change out of my work clothes and let's head over there, okay?”

* * *

On their way down to the Sandlot, Sora was tense with nervousness. Mostly, he was terrified that he stunk. That whole day working in the hot kitchen worked up a mighty sweat and he attempted to remedy it with a mighty spitbath in the bathroom. Now would not be the time to rock a bad case of B.O., especially if he would be sweating in the crowd. He wondered distantly if he should have scrubbed with something additional like lavender—hell even some fresh rosemary might have done the trick. Now, he would just have to hope for the best.

They waited patiently in the crowd for folks getting tickets checked and patted down. The Sandlot’s doors felt massive compared to the entrance that it had previously. The winding path that reached up to it was perfect for an admission line, as folks were able to queue up in a tight spiral, which limited the overflow of folks into residential spaces. Sora and Roxas’ timing had been perfect, as the last of the openers were on and the majority of patrons were already inside. 

When they made it into the Sandlot, both of them found it hard not to gawk at the changes. With so many people moving in and traveling to Twilight Town, they spent four years completely revamping the Sandlot to be an entertainment space for all kinds of events. The space was built out to accommodate a massive stage surrounded by concessions stands, merchandise tables, and a medical tent. They were able to accomplish this massive change by building back out into the forest on the other side. Their efforts really showed, as a small crowd used to be enough to make the space feel claustrophobic, but now it felt as if hundreds at a time could be funneled in and still have arm space.

As they scanned the crowd for a place to enter, Sora caught the eye of one of the groups clustered apart from the crowd. Sora smiled and waved, “Hey, look who it is!”

The group dashed up to them, and Roxas almost didn’t recognize the trio decked out as they were. Olette and Xion had loose Powerline tank tops that were knotted into crop tops, with glowsticks swinging from their necks and wrists. Neither compared to Pence, who was the most unrecognizable of all. He looked like he was almost made entirely of glowsticks. Atop his head was a Powerline bandana and some shutter shades. In addition to all that, he was **_shuffling_ **. He practically shuffled all the way over to them and was still shuffling as the rest stood and greeted each other.

After exchanging hugs and hellos, Roxas loudly asked Pence, “When did you learn to shuffle?”

Without breaking step, and surprisingly still able to breathe, Pence responded, “I’ve been practicing since we got tickets!”

“Well, you’re freaking killing it, dude,” Roxas laughed, “Also, loving the glowsticks.”

Pence smirked and saluted, “Better than ties! Here,” He paused his dancing to pull off a couple glow stick necklaces from his massive collection to hang them across Sora and Roxas’ necks. They both laughed and thanked him.

“We’re going to head close to the front,” Roxas told the three, “Wanna join us?”

Olette looked from Roxas to Sora, then smiled politely. Sora swore she almost had a mischievous glint in her eye, though he wasn’t entirely sure if it was maybe a trick from the lights onstage.

“We really don’t like being near the front… not enough room to dance!” She said, “So you two have fun! We’ll be dancing away over there. Come find us if you’re sick of the crowd.” She gave them both a hug, corralled the other two, then led them back off to the side of the crowd (with Pence shuffling all the way).

Internally, Sora sighed in relief. He wouldn’t have minded hanging out with the other three, but he’d been really looking forward to the alone time he and Roxas would spend in the crowd. He was briefly worried that he’d been maybe giving off that vibe a little too strongly and possibly scared Olette off with it, but then Roxas was grabbing his arm.

“Come on!” The blond shouted, “The opener just finished, let’s find a good spot!”

All his fears melted away as he tailed Roxas into the crowd.

They’d picked a decent spot close to the front, but not quite at the front; they still had plenty of space to dance. Since it was a summer day, the sun was still somewhat up. However, just enough darkness had slipped in that peoples’ glow sticks and light toys were now apparent among the attendees. Sora and Roxas watched them curiously and conversed as the set changed and props were arranged on the stage. 

Then, after some time, the lights dimmed. Machines hissed, and a blanket of fog draped across the crowd. The synths began ringing, and a cluster of lasers split overhead. The fog lit them up, and their neon glow cast the crowd in a rainbow of hues. On stage, a circle at the center of the floor parted: a figure, silhouetted by spotlights, was lifted up.

Powerline.

Roxas let out a holler—a drawn out YEAAAAAAHHHH—that made Sora jump in surprise. But then, delighted by the enthusiasm, Sora let out his own cry of excitement. The crowd was soon to follow, as a cascade of cheers emanated from all around them like ripples in a pond.

The figure raised his arm to the heavens, mic poised like Zeus’ thunderbolt ready to smite. One last light came on, and Powerline was fully illuminated. He looked older, but not necessarily aged—more like wisened. As if years away from the stage was never able to break his spirit. 

There was another wave of screams, and Powerline lowered the mic to his lips.

“Twilight Town!” He shouted, and his voice boomed from all around them, clear as day and seemingly untouched by age. “How y’all doin’ tonight?” More cheers, and Powerline’s grin widened, shiny white teeth practically glittering. “Let’s do this.” The synths began a retro beat. After a certain measure, Powerline’s mouth opened wide, and he sang the first chords of a harmony. Roxas grabbed Sora’s arm.

Shaken from his focus on the display, the brunet looked over in shock.

“He’s starting with this song?!” Roxas yelled, barely audible above the crowd’s next round of cheering, “Holy freaking Zeus, Sora, this is **_amazing_ ** _!_ Thank you!”

Heart fluttering, Sora smiled and gripped a hand over Roxas’. “Anything for you,” he said, but as soon as the “any” had left his mouth, the crowd’s shouting suddenly raised in volume as a series of pyrotechnics exploded with a **_boom-boom-boooom_ **onstage—completely drowning Sora’s words.

Roxas’ attention switched back to the absolute spectacle, “HOLY SHIT!” He shouted, completely in awe of the sight

They spent a lot of the show like that, with Roxas shouting and occasionally grabbing onto Sora to exclaim something at him as they danced away. At one point they went to go check on Olette, Xion, and Pence who we’re still having a blast at the back of the crowd. They were surprised and elated that, out of all of them, Pence definitely still had the best dance moves. He’d been gliding and sliding all around, having the time of his life. After they went back toward the front, Sora and Roxas kept having to move places because much taller people kept standing in front of them. At around the fourth time, Roxas had become agitated. As he was glancing around the crowd for a better spot, Sora saw someone being hoisted up on another’s shoulders.

Sora leaned over to Roxas’ ear, “Let me put you on my shoulders.”

The blond jumped back, looking flushed. “I—but…”

Placing a hand on Roxas shoulder, he leaned back in, “Don't worry. I’m definitely strong enough to hold you.”

“That’s not what I—” Roxas cut himself off with a shake of the head, “Er… okay, sure. How do we do this?”

Sora crouched down onto one knee—having to fight a blush because it felt like he was proposing in that position—and gestured to his shoulders. “Hop on and try to lean forward!” He shouted.

Working carefully, Roxas lifted his legs and draped them over Sora’s shoulders, straddling the back of the brunet’s neck. It took every ounce of Sora’s will to not think about the warm crotch pressing into the back of his neck as he held Roxas’ knees and carefully stood. Though they had a wobbly start, once Sora was fully standing he found that Roxas was easy to hold like this. Both being impeccable fighters, it made sense that their balance would be on point. Even as Roxas whooped and danced with his arms, Sora had no problems.

The brunet glanced up to see the blond waving somewhere, and he was sure it was at Olette, Xion, and Pence. They stayed like that for a while, Roxas grooving along on Sora’s shoulders and Sora excited that they could be so close. Sora held Roxas so long it put all the other people doing the same to shame. Roxas would take breaks from dancing to rest his hands on the top of Sora’s head, which made the brunet’s heart melt. He wanted so badly to squeeze Roxas’ knees or nuzzle Roxas’ thighs, look up, and dare the other man to try and kiss him like that. 

Suddenly, the blond was patting Sora’s head rapidly, “Put me down! Put me down!”

Almost in a scramble, Sora carefully kneeled back down and Roxas hopped off his head.

“What’s wrong?” Sora asked as he stood back up, “Are you okay?” He was genuinely worried he may have, in his daydream, tried to unconsciously squeeze or nuzzle the blond.

“HE WAVED AT ME!” Roxas shouted, “Powerline waved at me! Did you see?!”

Relieved, Sora laughed, “No, sorry I guess I missed it… that’s awesome—!”

Roxas threw his arms around Sora’s neck, a stream of thank-you-thank-you-thank-yous coming out of him. Roxas froze. He leaned back, leaving his hands to rest on Sora’s shoulders. Sora knew he was blushing, but it was hard to tell under the streaming lights and neon lasers whether Roxas was. But then Sora noticed something in Roxas’ gaze: his wide eyes had pupils darting about, as if taking all of Sora in. The pupils stopped at Sora’s lips, then they flicked up to Sora eyes. If Sora wasn’t staring so intensely, he might have missed how much they dilated.

Suddenly, a sense of sureness filled him, the one he’d been hoping for that whole time. It filled him **_too_ **suddenly, in fact, as his head went dizzy with it.

“Uh…” Sora said.

“Uh…” Roxas also said.

Then came a series of four very specific synths.

Roxas’ hand flew from Sora’s shoulders as he turned toward the stage hollering again. “Holy Zeus!” Roxas yelled as another four synths went off, “He’s playing ‘Eye-to-Eye’!”

As Roxas transitioned back into dance-mode, Sora mentally kicked himself.

_You big idiot,_ he chided internally, _That was your perfect moment and you said “uh?” You cannot waste your next shot!_

Still, he supposed it was better this way. It seemed this was Roxas’ favorite song, and it would have been cruel to complicate the moment for him like this. Plus, watching Roxas absolutely **_get down_ ** to this track was an absolute treat. And who could blame him? This beat was spectacular. Unable to contain himself, Sora also began grooving along—doing his best to match Roxas’ intensity.

“There you go!” Roxas shouted, and Sora beamed at him.

As they danced, they also watched the stage as the most amazing coordination of set work and choreography went along to the music. In all Sora’s years of traveling, this was certainly the most amazing display he’d seen just about anywhere. They went on like that for the next few minutes, completely grooving out with one another, and Sora catching little bits of Roxas singing along perfectly on key. As he listened to the lyrics a little more closely, he could feel his heart swelling with emotion. Seeing Roxas dance, hearing him belt out the song, the utter joy on his face…

Sora reached forward and gently grabbed the blond’s hands. Roxas was a little confused, but then Sora started to swing them around. At least, as much as he could do in the tight crowd. Roxas laughed and leaned into the swing. He eyes met Sora’s, and everything inside the brunet melted. We wanted to kiss him right then and there, forget all his plans and just do it. He was only snapped from this reverie when a series of pops went off and suddenly the stage was glittering with giant silver sparklers. They both stopped to look, amazed at the scene. Then, Powerline, with a final “ _Eye-to-eye!_ ” finished the song with a mic drop. The sparklers kept going as the crowd erupted in the loudest cheers all night.

Sora and Roxas were still holding hands when Sora looked back to the other man and—

There it was.

The perfect opportunity.

Lights were sweeping the crowd, and the glitter of sparklers lit up Roxas’ face in an uneven but magical glow. Roxas was looking at Sora with dazzling eyes and a contented grin. It made Sora’s heart drum heavily in his ears.

Sora said, “Roxas… I—”

A plastic cup hit the ground near them, spilling frothy beer at their feet. The girl who’d been holding the cup started swaying at first, then she suddenly pitched back—her limp body was going to crash right into Roxas.

“Look out!” Sora cried and Roxas sprang out of the way.

The brunet leaped in to catch her just before she hit the ground; her ponytail just barely sweeping across it instead. He inspected the girl’s flushed, sweat-drenched face. Roxas’ eyes were impossibly wide as he came to kneel beside them.

Just then, Olette, Pence, and Xion rushed over.

“We saw what happened!” Pence exclaimed, “Is she gonna be okay?”

Sora nodded, “It looks like it’s just heatstroke. Would you three see if you can find her friends? And Roxas, would you help me get her to the medical tent?”

They all nodded in acquiescence. Olette, Pence, and Xion split off as Sora and Roxas went to sling the girl’s arms over their shoulders. Being as swift and gentle as possible, they slipped between the gaps of the large crowd. It took them a long moment, especially after Powerline came back out for an encore, but they eventually popped out on the other side of the audience. The medical tent was only a few yards away.

“There it is!” Roxas said.

“Perfect. Hold on just a sec, Roxas,” Using his arm to primarily support her back, he waved his other hand over her head and whispered, “ _Curaga._ ” The familiar flurry of yellow flowers and clovers danced around the girl in a swirl of warm light. Sora smiled, “No need for her night to get any worse.”

With the encore happening behind them, no one had noticed the display of magic. Well, except for one guy with furrowed brows. He looked at them, then down at his drink, and then promptly threw his drink into the trash.

They finished carrying the heat-stroked girl over to the medical tent, where two EMTs noticed them and rushed forward to help. They laid her out on one of the empty cots and went to work getting her body temperature down and checking for cognizance. Sora and Roxas decided they would wait at the tent until her friends arrived. It wasn’t long before Olette, Xion, and Pence were bringing over two women wearing somewhat-matching outfits and looking utterly terrified. They thanked Sora and Roxas, then called the heat-stroked girl’s name and rushed past them into the tent. Olette, Xion, and Pence approached them.

“Thank you for finding her friends,” Sora said.

“Thank you for catching her!” Pence exclaimed, “We saw her start to fall. You were fast as lightning, man.”

It was a little odd that the three had been close enough to see what was going on, but Sora shrugged both this thought and the compliment off, “I’m just glad she got to enjoy most of her night before she went down. Scared the hell out of me.”

Roxas nodded, “Me too.”

Xion said, “We were gonna stay for the rest of the encore, but I’m guessing you two are good for the night, then?”

Sora and Roxas shared a look. The blond seemed anxious, and it broke Sora’s heart to think such a wonderful night could end so disastrously. It felt like it went by in a rush of lights, lasers, and longing—but it was all very fortunately burned into his memory, and he was grateful for that at least. Still, there had to be some way he could make it up to the blond. In a flash, his mind sifted through the possibilities… then, he landed on something.

“How about you and I beat the crowd and get some sea salt ice cream?” Simple, yet effective: Roxas’ face lit right up at the proposition.

“That sounds perfect to me.”

They gave the trio goodbye hugs and parted ways. On their walk out, they could hear the steadiness of the bass and wondered how the town ever convinced local residents to approve of the new venue.

* * *

At the top of Twilight Tower, they could see the last sliver of sunlight on the horizon. Most of the sky was sheathed in a blanket of velvet night, and the stars seemed especially bright despite the warm glow of the city lights. Sora and Roxas ate their ice cream, and Sora listened as Roxas gushed about the events of the night. He was pleased with himself that the blond had so much fun, but he also felt sheepish under all the repeated thank-yous he’d been receiving.

“Next time,” Roxas said, “We can just come up here for the next concert. You can see most of the Sandlot from here!”

Sora laughed, “But there’s nowhere to dance! And you were seriously dancing like crazy tonight.”

Roxas returned with a cackle, “You’re one to talk, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance before. You were getting down too.”

Facetiously, Sora sneered at him, “I couldn’t let you have all the fun by yourself.”

“I gotta say, your moves were pretty impressive.”

“But neither of us can top Pence, right?”

“Oh **_hell_ ** no, he was even giving Powerline a run for his money! He said he’s not sure what to do with his life after high school, but I bet he’d be a killer backup dancer.”

“Only a backup dancer? We just gotta get him singing and he’s the next popstar. I bet you anything!”

They shared a long laugh, then let a contented silence wash over them. They ate their ice cream in a mirthful peace as they watched the dark clouds loom ahead. Sora was just wondering if it was going to rain when Roxas spoke up again.

“Oh! I nearly forgot!”

Roxas pulled out his phone and, being especially careful not to drop it, held it up to take a picture. Without wasting a second, Sora had his arm over Roxas’ shoulders and, on a lark, tapped the remainder of his ice cream to Roxas’.

“Cheers!” He said, grinning widely, as Roxas took the snap on GummiChat. Roxas made _Cheers!_ the caption and Sora watched as it was sent to names he recognized as the Twilight Town crew.

Roxas said, “I’ll send it to you too so you have a copy.”

Sora thanked him and pulled out his phone to open GummiChat. Holding the ice cream by the stick between his teeth, he made sure to take a screenshot of the image. He noticed that Roxas received a notification pretty quickly from someone else, and saw it was Olette. “What’d Olette say?”

Roxas opened the message, but before Sora could see, Roxas fumbled with the device and backed out of the chat screen.

“Wh-whoops!” He stuttered, “She just said don’t fall and die. Ha ha.”

Though it seemed a little odd, Sora decided not to press further. Instead, he realized that he and Roxas hadn’t talked about their GummiChat adventures in a long time. He pulled out his own phone and, smirking at the other man, he said, “You’ll never guess who I gave a GummiPhone to.”

Roxas gave him a look that was both incredulous and amused, “You **_didn’t_ **.”

Sora’s smirk crept into a grin, “Oh, yes I did.”

The blond laughed, “Sora, you can’t just give GummiPhones to people! Isn’t there still an integrity to the ‘order of the worlds’, or whatever?”

In truth, the “order of the worlds” hadn’t really existed for a long while now. Since Sora had been traveling from place to place, knowledge of the other worlds had begun to creep in across the galaxy. It’s what made an interstellar Powerline tour possible. Sora explained this, and Roxas nodded along sagely.

“I guess so much has changed since I stepped away from the Keyblading business. Now I gotta ask… who has a GummiPhone?”

Sora scrolled through his snaps to find the contact he was eager to show. Then, he presented the phone to the blond.

“That’s… is that **_Ariel?_ **”

Sora was sure the former mermaid hardly looked recognizable with her wild red hair pulled back. In the practically flawless photo, she was posing with Prince Eric in the background, looking ready to pass out. The caption read, _Sleepless but full of song!_

Roxas marveled at the image as the timer slowly ran out. “She looks so… grown up.” Then, he gasped at the next photo that came up, “She has a **_kid?!_ **”

“Her name’s Melody.” Sora said, beaming. She was still just a brand-new baby with hardly a curl atop her head. Ariel sent him updates every single day. “They want me to be the godfather, but I don’t know if that’s a great idea… I haven’t even met the kid yet.”

It was Roxas’ turn to grin, “Sora, that’s great news! I think she’d be in excellent hands.”

“Yeah, well… if anything were to happen to Ariel and Eric… a life traveling the known universe is pretty great for a grown up. But for a kid?”

“Weren’t you a kid when you got started?”

Sora scoffs, “I should specify, for a **_baby_ **.”

Smiling, Roxas turned his nose up at Sora, “I think anyone would be lucky to travel with you.”

_Anyone?_

Sora froze. In spite of the humidity of the night, his tongue suddenly felt very dry. The night air cascaded over them, the breeze smelling fresh and lighting his senses up like the stars in the sky. His heart thrummed, reminiscent of the bass from the show. Lyrics from the concert floated through his head, like a whisper on the breeze…

_Maybe we’ll discover what we should have known all along._

Sora swallowed, the flavors of warm vanilla and crisp salt drifting from tongue to throat. Barely able to find his voice, he pulled the phone away. In his other hand, he could feel the ice cream slowly sliding off the popsicle stick in the heat of the night. As the phone was pulled away, Roxas’ gaze followed it… then flicked up to Sora. The blond was just a shadow, with only the city lights from below glancing off the edges of his features. The glowstick necklace cast his chest in a neon bluish-purple. His blue eyes swam with each glow, like a candle flame in a dark room mixed with a flickering star. All at once, Sora’s heart swell—he had to tamp it down to prevent himself from sputtering something foolish.

“Have you thought about it?” Sora asked, but it was softer than he intended. More gentle. More intimate. The way you would whisper something before kissing someone. He continued, “Coming with me I mean.”

Perhaps it was a trick of the night, but Roxas also seemed taken by something. It was as if a truth was hiding somewhere in Sora’s eyes, and Roxas was searching for it. The blond’s eyes fluttered closed, and it was the worst thing he could have done in that moment. Everything about him was screaming _Take my lips with yours, dumbass,_ especially when they began to part just slightly.

_Don’t go anywhere, just stay here._ Sora thought, _Just stay here and let me love you._

“Sora...” Roxas breathed— **_breathed_ ** like he was **_breathless._ **

The last of Sora’s sea-salt ice cream slipped from his stick and tumbled down… down… down… to the ground below. Roxas’ eyes opened, but before he could get lost in them again, Sora spoke up.

“Wait. Before you answer… There’s something—”

He watched Roxas’ face light up in a flash. Lightning? A mere second later, drops of wetness hit his cheeks. A few seconds after that, thunder rumbled across the sky. He cursed the stormclouds overhead, then cursed himself for not paying them any mind. The droplets began hitting them a little harder and faster.

“Damn,” Roxas grimaced up at the sky, “It’s about to come down… oh shit, we gotta get down from this tower!”

The two, as carefully and swiftly as possible, made their way back down Twilight Tower. The entire time, Sora wasn’t sure whether his luck was getting better or worse. On one hand, if his confession had come a moment sooner they would have had an awkward trek down and away from the rain. On the other hand, _Screw the rain and screw me for wasting another shot and screw the universe for making this a million times more difficult than it needs to be!_

By the time they got into Station Plaza, the rain was pelting with a ferocity akin to summer madness. They watched in horror from the safety of Central Station. Sora at least was in water-resistant clothes, including a jacket with a hood, but Roxas in his dress shirt and jeans stood no chance against the onslaught.

“My place isn’t too far away,” Roxas said, “Let’s go there.”

Sora nodded, “Got it. You lead the way.”

They tossed the remains of their ice cream in a nearby trash can. They were about to leave when Sora stopped them.

“Wait, take my jacket,” He said as he unzipped it and shrugged it off his shoulders.

Roxas looked taken aback, “N-no way! You’ve got less clothes on than I do without it!”

The brunet’s hand shot out with the jacket clenched in a fist, “I deal with the cold reaches of space all the time, I swear this will be nothing to me.”

The blond eyed him and the gesture warily… then, he sighed and took it. “If you insist.”

Though the gesture may have seemed entirely laid back, Sora was having a massive panic attack about how bad the piece of clothing might smell and if it would end up being the worst decision he made all night. Still, he didn’t want Roxas to get cold or soaked, and that won out over his self-consciousness. As he watched the blond pull the jacket on, it made his heart stutter.

The blond pulled up the hood and smiled at Sora, “Well? How do I look?”

He was reminded of Roxas’ old Organization cloak, part of which funnily enough went into the fabrication of the jacket. It hugged Roxas in all the right spots, looking a million times better than it did on Sora.

“I think we need to get you one of those,” Sora answered honestly.

The blond scoffed, “I think I’ve had more than my fair share of black coats in my lifetime. Let’s get going before the rain gets worse.”

They poised themselves at the glass doors. Then, after some bracing breaths, exited Station Plaza and began sprinting toward Roxas’ place. The rain was even worse than it seemed from inside, as it cascaded down in chilling blast after blast. To Sora, compared to other forms of cold he’s known (the dark reaches of space, the ocean of Destiny Island, the snows of Arendelle, the icy stares of Riku), this wasn’t too bad temperature-wise.

However, the sheer force of the downpour shocked him the most, with needle-like pain stabbing along his head and shoulders as they ran. He was mostly just glad that this storm hadn’t come along during the concert, as that would have put an even bigger damper on their night… both in the literal and figurative sense.

They’d been running for some time until they reached Roxas’ apartment. He pulled out his key and opened the door for the stairwell. Practically tripping over one another, they scrambled inside and up the flight of stairs. It wasn’t until Roxas was closing the door of his apartment behind them that they both let out a long sigh of relief. The blond started unzipping and removing Sora’s jacket.

“Thank you, Sora… I still got pretty soaked but—Holy Zeus!” His eyes softened into concern, “You’re trembling!”

Sora was so focused on running that he didn’t even notice that he was, in fact, shaking slightly from the cold. So much for the temperature not affecting him.

Roxas tsked, “You’re completely soaked, too! I knew I shouldn’t have taken your jacket… here,” Roxas led him toward the bathroom and pushed him inside, “Take a hot shower.” Sora was about to protest, but Roxas put his hand up, “Uhp! I don’t want to hear it.” He disappeared briefly, then returned with a small stack of clothing, “Here’s a pair of pajamas. Also, use whatever you need in the shower: soaps, towels... I really don’t mind.” The blond leaned forward and snagged a towel off a nearby rack from inside the bathroom, “Meantime, I’ll get your jacket hung up.”

Smiling softly, Sora said, “Thank you, Rox.” The blond slowly blinked at him. Sora realized it was the first time he’d ever used any kind of nickname with Roxas. He felt the heat rising in his face, fighting against the chattering cold. “S-see you in a bit!” And he slammed the door.

Roxas’ bathroom. Roxas’ bathroom. **_Roxas’ bathroom._ **

Now was not the time to be a creep. Now is the time to step into the shower stall, rinse with hot water, and pretend to be anywhere but **_Roxas’ bathroom._ **

It was the first time he’d been in it, too. All things considered, Roxas’ bathroom was pretty teensy. The shower stall was on one side, while the toilet, sink, and mirror were in the middle. On the opposite side was a combo washer/dryer with open-faced linen shelves above it. The small size didn’t make it any less amazing to see another fragment of Roxas’ world.

Sora took a deep breath to calm himself… but it only made things worse, as the scent of something akin to summertime freshness cascaded through his nose. Was it… juniper? Sandalwood? Myrtle? It all mixed around in his head like a cocktail waiting to be tipped back. He could remember the fragrance just slightly from their close proximity in the crowd earlier that day. He wondered how the scent mixed with Roxas skin… he wanted to get close enough to find out—

He could feel the twinge in his pants, somewhat unperturbed by the cold dancing across his flesh.

_Stop it. Stop it._ **_STOP. IT._ **

Sora chastised himself as he pinched his nose shut and turned the shower on as high as it would go. By the time he stripped his sopping clothes and the red glowstick necklace from his body, the shower was ready. As he took the scalding shower, he noticed some of the same intoxicating smells permeating off a bar of soap—that must be the sandalwood and juniper. Though the rain may have washed away the majority of any remaining B.O., he remembered Roxas’ offer and used the bar to scrub his sweatiest bits… just to be safe.

After exiting the shower, he snagged a clean towel and dried off his now-warm body in preparation for the pajamas. They were a plain black shirt and some black gym shorts. Both were unbelievably soft, and it made him stupidly happy to be wearing articles of Roxas’ clothing. He decided it was worth all the rain in the world.

When he left the bathroom, he found Roxas in a plain white shirt and grey pajama pants working to open the French doors to the balcony. As the blond did, the fresh smell of petrichor flooded the room. Roxas paused and his shoulders lifted in a deep breath. As he sighed, his entire body relaxed—satiated by the moment. He then reached forward and grabbed the curtains on the outside and swung them over the doors; Sora guessed this was so the curtains wouldn’t get wet.

When Roxas noticed Sora was out of the bathroom, the blond flashed a smile. He looked so… mystical. Like a being of light come to grant him a wish. The room around them was dark, but warm yellow flooded in from the balcony and left them mostly alight.

Somewhat at a loss for words, Sora dug around his brain and asked, “You’re not going to turn on the lights?”

Shaking his head, Roxas responded, “No, the light from the balcony is just too perfect. I haven’t been able to find a lamp that does the same. I prefer the lights off at night.”

Sora nodded, “I think I have to agree. It’s pretty gorgeous in here like that.” He stepped toward the other man and had to stifle some thoughts about how gorgeous Roxas himself looked.

As he got next to Roxas, he realized how much more lovely the light was with the rain coming down. From where they were standing, the pouring rain sounded less violent and more calming. The overhang from the balcony above was just enough that Roxas’ own balcony stayed mostly dry. The light of the city was accentuated by the rain’s mist, and droplets glowed before them in a cascade of yellow and orange. It was just like that night with the fireworks, with the darkness of the apartment accented by the light from outside.

“Still the best view in the city,” Sora mused, “Reminds me of your birthday.”

There was a pause as Roxas’ averted his gaze. One of Roxas’ hands went up to run through his bangs. It was something that Sora noticed the blond did when he was nervous. He watched as Roxas’ exposed forehead came to view and a crooked smile played on the other man’s lips. Mouth twitching, Roxas seemed to struggle with his words.

“That was… that was a fun night. It was the best birthday I’d ever had.” Then, Roxas’ eyes flicked up to Sora as he inquired, “But—weird question—why did you unplug my alarm clock that night?”

Sora shrugged, “I wanted you to get a good night’s sleep.”

“Fair enough, it was some pretty good sleep… but sometimes I hate sleeping late. I always seem to do it, though. It’s why I have an old-fashioned alarm clock.”

Sora’s gaze shifted back to the rain. He rested his hands on the railing and was comforted by the cooled iron in his grasp. “I think I know what you mean. I always end up lying awake at night… it sucks. But I just can’t seem to fall asleep most nights. That’s why I stayed awake that night. But I wanted to stay… I just didn’t know if I should.”

Roxas was quiet… oddly quiet. And Sora couldn’t bring himself to look at the blond. He was afraid of what he might see.

There was something he regretted not doing back then. He’d thought about that night ad nauseum, flipping it over and over in his head like a record on repeat. Side A: “I’m not letting you go to bed just yet.” Side B: “I love you, Roxas.” He couldn’t bring himself to say it to the blond’s face. He should have never gone for the couch. He should have just said **_something. Anything._ **

It terrified him to look at Roxas’ face now against the medallion night. Though… Sora was curious... could Roxas be thinking about the same thing?

Mostly, he was worried that if he looked… he would be too afraid to say what needed to be said.

_Start with his name,_ He thought, _Then let the other three words just... come out._

It was such a simple action, yet it was everything to him. The end of his world, the beginning of a new unknown. The precipice of the abyss and beyond. The event horizon of this moment and all the rest of his life.

Another flash of lightning, with thunder soon to follow. It rattled down in his chest, shaking his bones with it. It reminded him of the fireworks. The sensation of summer nights and youth fading away crept up his flesh. He took a quiet gulp of humidity and petrichor, ready to exhale the truth.

He opened his mouth, the words poised on his tongue like a drop dew on a leaf—dangling off the edge into the unknown.

“Sora,” Roxas said, “I’m in love with you.”

* * *

_Exeunt._

* * *

A/N: Happy Valentines/Belated SoRoku Day!!!

I posted this story around SoRoku day last year… and you all loved it! I can’t tell you how many of your reviews and comments got me through some of my darker days. Every ounce of free time I had, I poured into this project. It truly became larger than life!

I’d honestly gotten stuck on the lemons scenes and that’s what was really holding me back. I was bummed that I hadn’t done much for SoRoku day… but then I realized, why not just post what I have done and worry about the rest later? So here’s chapter 2… and this will all be done in chapter 3!

I gotta tell you, when I was planning the series of dates Sora was taking Roxas on, I was having the worst time coming up with anything. I wasn’t even going to have any conflict originally, it was just gonna be easy-peasy perfect date leads to long-awaited confession… but that wouldn’t be fun to write. It took me forever to figure out what kind of conflict I would have. And then, I needed an event big enough that would swamp the Bistrot… I was trying to come up with a name for a random band playing. Then I realized… I don’t have to. There’s a Disney sensation that already exists and would have people freaking out enough. Powerline. (“Eye to Eye” starts playing in the background.)

Also I knew I had to put this fic down for a while because I had the absolute WORST pair of thoughts flit across my brain one late night, and now you must suffer as well. Beware, you will be scarred forever. They were, “Forbidden ship: Goofy and Powerline.” and, “Imagine Goofy just bringing Powerline home like, ‘Max, meet your new second dad!’” XD

In the future, if I write another story that takes place in the Bistrot, I think I’llhave Remy communicate through sign language. I’d considered it for this story, but I was too far in to writing it when I had the idea. Let me know your thoughts on this.

_References and Inspirations:_

  * _“Eye to Eye” and “Stand Out” from A Goofy Movie. Obviously._


  * _A friend of mine turned me on to Louis the Child and ilo ilo sometime last year, and they’re my new go-to music loops for summertime romance vibes._



**Some Life Updates:**

Like many, many others, COVID totally upended my life. I also graduated at the end of 2019, so 2020 was spent searching for a job in my professional field—and since I wasn’t using the bus to commute to school any longer, there went all of my free writing time. By all the luck in all the world, though, I snagged myself a job around my truest passion: writing! But working 8-to-5 also meant even less time to write for fun… but I carved it out when I could. I didn’t let inspiration slip away if I could help it.

**Some News:**

Part of why I was writing fanfic less was because of an ongoing side-project: I’m writing a series of guides to help folks get started on their own fanfiction journeys! I’ve received many requests in the past for advice on writing fanfiction. I also realized that with the pandemic, people are using the extra time they have to explore more of their passions. I want to help!

For now, **_you can find my series of guides on my tumblr account (mewsomniac)_ **. At least until I can find another website that will also work (let me know your suggestion if you have them!).

Follow me on twitter for updates as well: **_@mewsomniac_ **

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**No Questions This Time, But I Would Like to Use This Space to Thank My Readers:**

Thank you to everyone who sent kudos and bookmarked this story! I won’t share your names just in case you prefer to stay anonymous, but know that I archive every notification so I never lose them!

Thank you also to the following reviewers who left feedback on this story (in alphabetical order): _AnimeRoxx, managician, ohimeruu, Queen Weirdo, Roxas, Sam, TheTrueSnowQueen, TJ, vaedy,_ and _xApple!_ I save every comment and review so I can look at them for inspiration whenever I need it!

Thank you also to _paranormalchip1_ for reaching out on tumblr to send me sweet messages and SoRoku art! And thank you to _greenyegirl_20_ for tagging me on Twitter to wish me a happy SoRoku day! You two literally have no idea how much things like that mean to me. I also know you've been looking forward to this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!

**_This Valentines Day, I want to say I love all of you so much! Thanks for making my hobby feel all the more worthwhile. You mean so much to me, and I hope I can continue to write for you._ **

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Keep your eyes out for _Cyberhearts_ : a SoRoku that’s a little different. :)


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